Pokémon: Hope of the Guardians
by Trainer Jayden
Summary: Ash sets off for the Kalos region with friends, new and old. Unfortunately, Kalos isn't as peaceful as they hoped, but with the power of aura, they might just stand a chance.
1. Pilot

**This is my first story. Gonna be a long one so strap in. Review please cuz I love to know what you guys think. If you like it, maybe gimme a favorite (hint hint).**

 **Anyways some key info:**

 **-Pokemon aren't restricted to four moves cuz I think that's dumb and makes no sense in the context of the anime (Drake's Dragonite had like a billion moves)**

 **-Kalos has contests and showcases. I like both and it's my story. Deal with it. (tho if it bothers you, you can tell me cuz I appreciate your criticism ;) )**

 **-Ages:**

 **Ash is 14**

 **May is 13**

 **Dawn is 12-13**

 **Brock is 18**

 **Serena is 13-14**

 **Jayden (you'll know who that is) is 14**

 **-Advanceshipping is the end goal of the story. Keep that in mind.**

 **-There will be some Deadpooling (4th wall breaking)**

 **-If you have OCs, send them in cuz I'd love to have them and I want you guys to be a part of this too**

 **And that's all you need to know!**

Macrocosm City, Hokkaido Region (Morning)

 _ **May's Perspective**_

I sighed as I walked out of the travel agency building. The coastline in front of me stretched on for miles on end, with glimmering waters and white beaches. Behind me, a large metropolis sprawled over the land, dotted with small quaint cafes and large skyscrapers in equal number.

A small blue fox nuzzled my leg. Smiling, I picked Glaceon up and started walking towards the Pokemon Center in the city. "Well Glaceon, it's official: connecting flights suck." Glaceon looked up curiously.

"I mean seriously, how is it cheaper to go from Sinnoh to Kanto if you take a 300 mile detour with a 1 day layover? And now the flight got cancelled so I have to wait until tomorrow for the ferry!" I exclaimed to my partner. Glaceon licked my chin as a form of comfort, something that made me smile.

I sighed again before looking up to the sky and thinking to myself. _Well it could be worse. At least when it's all over I can see Ash again. That'll be fun. Wow...I haven't even talked to him since the Wallace Cup. And that was almost a year ago._ I sighed AGAIN. _I can't believe we've grown apart like this. And I remember Brock saying he stopped travelling with Ash. That's crazy! They're like best friends and it makes no sense for them to split apart!_ (Pokemon Executives take note)

I was so lost in thought that when I walked into the Pokemon Center, I didn't notice the boy standing in front of me. With a thud, I walked right into his back and fell.

"Waah!" I cried embarrassingly while falling. Almost instantly, I felt a hand around my waist. I looked up to my savior's face and nearly choked. _Holy Arceus he's hot_. I didn't move for a while, causing him to laugh as I blushed, coming back to reality and realizing the handsome boy was still holding me like a salsa dancer.

Rubbing the back of my head sheepishly, I stood upright again, Glaceon jumping out of my arms. I took note of my savior's features. He was tall, around 6 feet and really well built with tan skin. His black hair was shaggy and long and hid his ears from view. His eyes were a deep and clear shade of green. His smile was bright white, but also a little mischievous. He was wearing a blue t-shirt with a white pokeball symbol on the chest, khakis and red sneakers with white soles. The most distinguishing feature was this gray beanie he had with a familiar looking symbol on it. It was a yellow circle surrounded by a yellow pincer like shape that extended to the right to form two spikes.

"Ummm...hi?" He laughed awkwardly as he talked, "Are you okay?"

I snapped out of my daze and replied, "Y-yea. I'm fine thanks." I waited for an awkward amount of time before I decided to stick my hand out without thinking and blurted "I'mMaynicetomeetyou." I cringed and berated myself internally _Stupid! He probably thinks you're crazy._

Instead, he laughed and just responded, "You're cute." I could feel my face turn redder than Blaziken. "I'm Jayden. It's good to meet you too." He took my hand and shook it before placing his hands in his pockets, swaying up and down on his toes. "Sooo...that was awkward." He added after an appropriate amount of time.

This time I laughed and nodded. He moved politely out of the way and gestured me inside, bowing slightly like a royal squire. Giggling, I walked to the back of the Pokemon Center where my room was.

I walked out onto the balcony and stared over the city scape. I could see the dividing line where the smaller buildings of Macrocosm City met with the towering skyscrapers. The centerpiece was an enormous tower, built out of glass and steel and shaped like a hexagonal prism that was wider on the bottom.

An idea popped into my head. "Hey Glaceon," I exclaimed while looking down at my Pokemon, "Why don't we explore the city while we're here?" Glaceon cried out her own name in response. I recalled her to her Pokeball, grabbed my backpack and ran out the door.

When we got to the lobby, I saw Jayden picking up some Pokeballs from Nurse Joy. Then a Pikachu leaped from a hospital cart onto his shoulders. I noticed he had three stripes on his back instead of the usual two. "Thanks Nurse Joy!" he said.

Nurse Joy smiled, "It's my pleasure Jayden. Come back soon!" She waved goodbye as he turned around. His eyes fell on me and he grinned.

We walked over to each other. "Hey." He greeted me.

"Hi Jayden! Going to introduce me to your friend?" I stroked Pikachu's chin, earning a satisfyingly cute 'Pikachuuuu.'

Jayden gestured from Pikachu to me and back, "Pikachu, this is May. May, Pikachu." Pikachu did a little peace sign and winked to say hello. "So May, you heading out to the city?"

I nodded, "Yea I wanna check out that huge tower in the middle of the city."

Jayden raised his eyebrows, "You mean the Battle Spire? I'm going there now too, if you want some company." His little grin at the end didn't go unnoticed, but I smiled at the offer anyways.

"Yea that'd be great!" He gestured for me again and I walked out of the Pokemon Center, a new friend in tow.

Pallet Town, Kanto Region (Noonish)

 _ **Ash's Perspective**_

I groaned as I checked my email from May. "Mom, May had to reschedule to a ferry so she won't be here until Thursday!" ( **A.N. It's Tuesday today btw** )

My mom, Delia Ketchum, poked her head from the living room, "Aww. I'm sorry honey! I know you were looking forward to seeing her again. But cheer up! Dawn will be here soon! And then you can all go to Professor Oak's lab to see your Pokemon."

I sat up with a smile; seeing my Pokemon again would be nice. I'd been home for a whole week after getting back from Unova. Alexa had taken off to Viridian City to meet up with an old friend and was supposed to be back on Friday to take me to Kalos. I stood up, the excitement building up inside me.

"Ohh! Mom I just can't wait anymore! I need to go to Kalos now!" I whined, running in place.

Mom walked over and put her hands on my shoulders, "Ash Ketchum, for four years, you've been going from region to region to region to region to region..." I lost count after a while, "You can handle two weeks at home with your poor mom. You wouldn't want me to be all alone would you?"

I laughed, "You have Mimey." On cue, Mimey called out from upstairs 'Mime!'

Brock walked out of the kitchen, mixing a bowl of yellow batter, "Come on Ash, consider it a vacation and a chance to see how all of your Pokemon have grown while you've been away."

I grinned, "Yea Brock I guess you're right about that." Brock dropped by a couple days ago with great news: he'd been given his medical license in only a years time since he already had the knowledge and experience to match even Nurse Joy.

The doorbell rang and I sprinted over. I threw the door open, revealing everyone's favorite bluenette.

"Dawn!" I exclaimed.

"Ash!" She responded as I grabbed her and lifted her a few inches off the ground, "A-ash...can't b-breathe" She rasped before I dropped her, rubbing my head sheepishly.

"Hehe sorry Dawn! Guess I got excited." Dawn caught her breath before walking inside.

"Wow, your house is so nice!" she said while looking around.

"Dawn! Good to see you!" Brock said as he walked over and gave her a quick hug.

"Hey it's so good to see you too! Congrats on becoming a Pokemon Doctor!" She replied. Brock said thanks before a certain penguin caught our attention.

'Piplup lup!' Piplup declared, puffing out his chest.

I laughed, "Hiya Piplup. It's good to see you too." I whistled at my couch, "Pikachu come on, say hi!" Pikachu's head popped over the top cushion, his fur slightly messed up from his nap.

'Pika! Pikapi chu!' He cried as he chased Piplup around our legs.

After lunch, Dawn and I started walking over to Professor Oak's lab, while Brock stayed behind to help clean up.

The front door slid open. On the front room couch, Tracey was sitting down, sketching some Pokemon probably.

"Yo Tracey! How's it going!" I called out.

Tracey looked up and panicked, closing his notebook and shoving it under the couch. "H-hey Ash! How's it going?" He asked with a slightly manic look.

"Umm..." Dawn and I sweatdropped a little bit, "It's...good? Uhh you remember Dawn right?" I said gesturing to her.

Tracey regained his composure, "Yea of course I do. Hey Dawn!" Dawn waved back, eyeing the couch cushion where Tracey hid his notebook. "I suppose you want to show her your Pokemon right? I bet Gible would love to see Piplup again!"

'Pip...PIPLUP LUP!' Piplup cried as he remembered the abuse he suffered at the hands of the small devil.

Dawn on the other hand seemed excited and ran out the back door to the ranch.

Ash and Tracey waited around for a second before Ash broke the silence, "Tracey, what were you drawing?"

"WHATNAKEDGIRLS?!" Tracey screamed before his face reddened. We waited around for another minute.

"So you're that kind of artist."

Once we walked out into the ranch, I readied myself. Pikachu hid behind a bush and Tracey placed a helmet over my head. Soon enough, the ground started to shake and a cloud of dust rose. My 30 Tauros stampeded towards me, Dawn desperately holding on to one of them in terror. I close my eyes and made peace with Arceus.

...

I woke up 3 minutes later to find Totodile blasting me in the face with Water Gun. "Hey Totodile!" I stood up and saw Dawn petting Torterra and Infernape while Piplup butted heads with Oshawatt.

'Pikachu.' Pikachu said as he climbed my shoulder again. "Hey buddy." I said stroking his chin.

"Hey Ash! I have an idea!" Dawn called. I ran over.

"What's up Dawn?" I asked.

Dawn giggled and replied, "Why don't we have a battle? I want to show you how strong my Pokemon and I've gotten.

I pumped my fist, "You got it!"

"I'll officiate then!" a voice called from the lab. Professor Oak stood smiling.

Dawn's eyes lit up, "It's the Pokemon Poet! Do you have any new poems?"

Prof. Oak laughed, "Sorry Dawn, fresh out! But when I think of one, I'll be sure to let you know." Oak walked to the middle of the grassy field, "Let's have a quick one on one battle. Sound okay to you kids?" Dawn and I nodded yes. "Then let the battle begin!"

"Alright Togekiss, spotlight!" Dawn threw her Pokeball into the air as it burst open, stars flying around the white bird.

I thought to myself for a second before deciding, "Staraptor, I choose you!" Staraptor flew from the crowd of Pokemon assembled around the field. "Dawn, ladies first!"

"Alright Togekiss, use Aura Sphere!"

"Staraptor, block it with your wings!"

Staraptor shielded himself with his wings as the blue sphere collided with him. A small explosion resulted, which pushed Staraptor back a few feet, but he was otherwise totally fine. I smirked _Aura Sphere's one of those moves that hits no matter what so all we can do is to brace ourselves. But now it's time to fight back._

"Staraptor, use Aerial Ace!" I cried.

"Counter with Extreme Speed!" Dawn exclaimed

The two birds raced towards each other and collided before Staraptor managed to push Togekiss back.

"Now use Brave Bird!"

Staraptor was surrounded by a glittering blue aura as he raced towards the falling Togekiss.

"Dodge, then use Sky Attack!"

Togekiss twirled and flew out of the way as Staraptor brought himself to a halt. Then Togekiss, surrounded by white energy, crashed right into Staraptor, sending him crashing into the ground.

"Oh no! Staraptor! Are you okay?" Staraptor flew back up, wincing in pain but cried out in determination. "Awesome! Let's try playing it smart. Use Steel Wing!"

Staraptor's wings shined metallically and he struck Togekiss in the midsection, causing her to cry out.

"Ah! Togekiss!" Dawn exclaimed. "I had no idea Staraptor learned Steel Wing!"

Oak nodded, "That was smart Ash. Taking advantage of Togekiss' weakness to steel type moves."

"Thanks Professor. Now Staraptor, let's show Dawn what else we've learned! Use Giga Impact!"

Staraptor was surrounded by a purple energy accentuated by swirling orange lines. He raced towards Togekiss.

"Togekiss, Sky Attack!" Togekiss raced towards Staraptor surrounded by white again. The two met in the middle with a bang, the entire field billowing in the gust. When the dust cleared, only one stood standing.

"Togekiss is unable to battle, Staraptor wins. That means the victor is Ash!" Oak clapped as he announced the results.

Dawn groaned as she recalled her Pokemon, "Awesome job Togekiss!"

I patted Staraptor's head, "Thanks for a great battle buddy!" 'Staraptor!' He called proudly.

All of a sudden, my stomach started rumbling. "Hehe I guess all that battling worked up an appetitite!"

Oak checked his watch, "Oh goodness, it's that time already? Well then Ash, I'll take my leave. Have to go back to the family!"

Dawn and I waved goodbye, "See you Professor Oak! Say hi to Gary for me!" I called out.

Pikachu jumped back onto my shoulder and Piplup walked up to Dawn's leg.

"Hey Ash, let's go back to your house and see what they've got for dinner!" I cheered and we both took off towards my house.

Macrocosm City, Hokkaido Region (Afternoon-Early Evening)

 _ **May's Perspective**_

"You're the what?!" I shouted, probably a bit too loudly. Jayden and I were walking to the Battle Spire. Pikachu was getting all cozy in my arms.

Jayden laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, "I'm the backup Spire Master."

"Wow! So you're like in charge of the building? You must be really elite!" I exclaimed. Pikachu nodded in affirmation, flexing his muscles. We both laughed at that.

"Haha. I don't know if I'm elite or anything but it's not really cuz I'm good or anything." He saw my confused look so he explained, "The Battle Spire is actually a part of the Hokkaido Battle Frontier. But it's also the world's most advanced Pokemon Education and Recreation Center or PERC for short ( **A.N. pronounced 'perk' just in case you're curious** ). We teach trainers all sorts of tips on how to improve in battles, contests and even showcases. We even have classes for new trainers on how to catch and train Pokemon effectively. Only the top five stories have anything to do with the Battle Frontier. The Frontier Brain, called the Spire Master, lives up there. The other floors are devoted to a shopping mall, a hotel, some gardens and the PERC."

I nodded, "So what does this have to do with you not being good? I remember some of the Frontier Brains I met and they were all amazing!"

"Well it's just a title. So the real Spire Master takes vacations to crazy remote places all the time cuz she's kinda" Jayden made a cuckoo clock sound and twirled a finger next to his head, "so the Battle Frontier decided to have a backup Spire Master (that's me) in case she wasn't available. Really it's just cuz I beat the Battle Frontier a long time ago and I live here in the city anyways." Jayden waved his hands around, "Nothing other than convenience."

"Still, that's a huge accomplishment!" I looked up and gasped, "Holy shi-"

'Pikachuuuu!' the electric mouse stretched before crawling onto Jayden's shoulder and curling up. Soon we heard the sound of his tiny snores.

The tower was huge. No. Even that didn't do it justice. It was just...awesome. The lobby was filled with tourists snapping pictures of the displays showing off famous trainers who'd visited to tower and some boards about the building's history.

Jayden led me to an elevator past the front desk. The receptionist was a pretty girl, around our age. Jayden winked at her and she blew him a kiss. _So he's that kind of guy, huh?_ I shook my head in dispproval but a small smile formed. _Still gotta admit he's kinda charming. Sorta reminds me of Ash...but taller...and more flirty...and with more definitio-wait. What the hell am I doing?_

We walked into the elevator. Jayden inserted a card and typed something into the keypad. The door shut and we shot up.

Jayden turned to me "I'm taking you up to the Contest Center so you can see where the magic happens!" He paused, "Although I really have no idea about what they do there." He laughed in a goofy but adorable way "They're beyond me."

I raised an eyebrow, "You think Contests are beyond you? What do you mean?" _Why is he taking me to the Contest Center?_ I thought to myself.

He just shrugged, "I'm no good at 'em. Don't have the talent for it. Although I suppose the Princess of Hoenn could show me a thing or two" He smiled slyly.

Taken aback I responded, "How do you...I never...what?"

He laughed, "You really don't know how famous you are do you? Half of my coworkers idolize you. Some of them actually went to the Wallace Cup in Sinnoh just to see you."

This time I laughed, although I had a bit of a blush, "I don't know. That was a fun time. It was over a year ago...I think around March." Suddenly a question popped into my mind, "So did you see the Wallace Cup?" I asked before realizing he'd gotten a weird look in his eyes. They were wide and bloodshot. And they just screamed...pain. I touched his arm, "Jayden? Are you okay?"

He turned to me and his eyes returned to normal, "Yea. Never better. Just had a little daydream." He chuckled and rubbed his head. But I wasn't convinced. He was hiding something and I wanted to know what. _Wait! I just met him a few hours ago. He doesn't have to tell me anything. Ugh dammit! Why is my brain being so stupid today!_

The elevator opened and we walked out. I gasped: it was a coordinator's paradise. There was a room with glass walls filled with different seals. There were ball capsules galore. Books and DVDs on contest tactics. A shop with Pokemon costumes. A shop for dresses. Another for suits.

I felt the hearts pop out of my eyes, "It's beautiful." I whispered.

Jayden laughed before gesturing me to follow him. We approached a large open gym full of coordinators practicing combinations. On the other side of the tower through a million glass walls, I could faintly see what looked like contest battling.

I turned to Jayden excitedly, "This place is awesome!" I must've said it too loud cuz the next thing I knew, someone shouted, "It's the Princess of Hoenn."

The last thing I heard was my shriek as they tackled me.

Pallet Town, Kanto Region (Evening)

 _ **Ash's Perspective**_

"Ahh Brock! You've outdone yourself this time!" I said, my stomach protruding out of my hoodie.

Brock laughed, "I'd forgotten how much you could eat!" He and mom started to wash the dishes while Dawn and I cleared the table.

"So Dawn, how'd you do in Hoenn?" I asked, wiping down the table with a rag.

She groaned, "I got runner-up again to this Harley guy." Brock and I did a spit take, "He was creepy but his Cacturne was no joke!"

 _Wow I can't believe Harley got so good! Makes me think about how I was back then...I got Top 8 back in Hoenn...and again in Unova...have I not improved?_ "Ash?" Dawn asked. I shook myself out of my thoughts.

"Yea what's up?"

She looked at me with a puzzled look, "I asked how you did in the Unova League."

"Oh. I got to the Top 8 this time. I lost to my friend Cameron. He was tough but I had a lot of fun." I grinned but that general sense of uneasiness lingered in my brain.

Dawn smiled back, "That's great! Do you know where you're heading next?"

"Yea! My friend Alexa is from the Kalos region and she's taking me there on Friday." I replied, feeling the wave of excitement wash over me again. "What about you?"

"Really? That sounds so fun!" Dawn exclaimed. "Well...I don't really know where I'm going next. I mean, Kanto or Johto sounds fun but I'm feeling kinda lonely as of late, you know?" Dawn laughed but I could swear I heard a small choke there. She immediately perked up, "But hey, no need to worry!"

Suddenly, it hit me, "Dawn!" She took a step back, startled by my outburst, "Why don't you come with me to Kalos? It'll be so much fun!" Dawn seemed surprised by the offer but she burst into a big grin.

"Yea let's do it!" We high-fived over the table and I felt even more pumped. _Oh man! It's gonna be just like old times! Wait...Brock!_

"BROCK? DO YOU WANNA TRAVEL WITH DAWN AND I TO KALOS?" I shouted from the dining room. I heard him whisper to my mom or Mimey before he replied, "K."

"Wait that's it?" I asked Dawn.

She shrugged, "Modern communication."

Then an idea hit me again. "Hey, what if I call May and ask her to come with us? I bet she'll say yes!" I asked Dawn.

She grinned and nodded with anticipation. _I forgot that Dawn had a total idol-thing for May back then_.

I ran to the phone and dialed in May's number and waited for it to connect. When the call failed, I paced around thinking what to do. Then another light bulb went off in my head and I ran upstairs to my computer and started typing.

Macrocosm City, Hokkaido Region (Evening)

 _ **May's Perspective**_

After Jayden wrestled me free of the fans and I gave a couple poorly worded and awkward pieces of advice to some hopeful Top-Coordinators, we went up to see the Battle Center, which was exactly what you'd expect.

Looking around I muttered a little loudly, "Ash would love it here?"

Suddenly Jayden popped next to me, "Who's Ash?" He raised an eyebrow, "Is he your boyfriend?"

I leaped back and blushed furiously, "No no! He's just a friend!" _Although...dammit stop it brain!_

Jayden smiled again, "Oh okay. That's good."

Suddenly I smiled slyly, "Why is that good?" I asked in a teasing voice.

He turned away and ducked his head a little bit but I swore he blushed a bit. I giggled.

Jayden looked to me, "Would he happen to be Ash Ketchum?" I doubled over.

"You know Ash?" He shook his head no.

"I met this guy Gary Oak when I was going through Sinnoh. He told me about this friend of his named Ash. Then I met another guy named Paul who also knew him. They both said he was one of the strongest trainers they'd ever known." Jayden explained.

 _Wow. I remember Gary and Ash mentioned something about a rival he met in Sinnoh named Paul._ I shrugged and smiled, "It's a small world I guess." I looked at the clock. 8:30 PM. Suddenly my stomach roared and I remembered I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I fell to my knees and moaned.

I felt Jayden hold my shoulder before he lifted me to my feet with pleasantly surprising strength. He looked me in the eyes, "Come on Maple, you can do this. Can't you?" I nodded, curious as to what was happening. "Then let's go!" He took off with a ridiculously overacted marching pose. I laughed, clutching my stomach at the ridiculousness. _Well at least I'm up now._

Within ten minutes, Jayden had us seated at a small restaurant outside the Battle Spire. The table was outdoors and had a small Litwick in the middle who cast a bright blue glow on everything.

"Good evening sir and madam. May I inquire your meal of choice?" a well dressed waiter said as he drew out his notepad and pen.

Before I could even open my mouth, Jayden listed off what sounded like the entire menu. The waiter just marked it down without blinking before turning to me. Still slightly dumbfounded I just said, "I'll have the same." The waiter nodded before bowing out.

"This place is kinda fancy." I remarked, looking around, "Plus, I can't believe that waiter caught everything you said."

Jayden chuckled, "He knows my order. I come here a lot after work. Although" he dipped his head towards me slightly, "I've never taken a pretty girl here before."

I blushed slightly but I was used to it by now. Jayden was just a flirtatious person. Though he wasn't creepy like *shudder* Harley. Or kinda an ass like Drew. _He's a lot like Brock in the sense that he's open but still good-natured._ I chuckled, remembering his little blush. _Although he can get flustered just like Max. And he has Ash's love for Pokemon. Hmm...wait not again!_ "Dammit!" I yelled, pounding my fist on the table. I immediately looked up, realizing what I just did. The waiter was back and he and Jayden were looking right at me

Jayden was silent for a while before he responded, "A 20-minute wait isn't that bad May." I nodded and looked down at my lap. Suddenly I felt a tug at my hair. Looking up, I saw Pikachu, who finally woke up from his nap, gesturing up with his arms. "He wants you to carry him." Jayden commented, smiling at his Pokemon's goofiness.

While I petted Pikachu's fur I asked, "Is Pikachu your starter?"

Jayden shook his head, "Nah. My starter was a Treecko I got from Professor Birch when I started my journey." I looked up in surprise.

"Really? You know Professor Birch? He and my dad are really good friends!"

Jayden raised an eyebrow, "Really? Who's your dad?"

"Norman, the Petalburg gym leader."

Jayden doubled over before he grabbed my shoulders, a huge grin on his face, "Really?" I nodded. He leaned back in his chair, "Oh man. Your dad was brutal! His Slaking destroyed me. I had to do some serious training there. He pushed me so far, my Treecko evolved during our battle!"

Now I was curious, "Have you been on a lot of journeys?"

Jayden though for a minute before replying, "I've been through Hoenn, Hokkaido, Johto, Kalos, Unova and Sinnoh. But I haven't gone anywhere for about six months." I sweatdropped. _Now I feel inadequate._

"Have you ever placed in a tournament?" I was mentally comparing Jayden to all other trainers I knew.

"Well the best I've done is Top 4 in Hoenn and Kanto but that's it." He laughed a little, "And technically, I'm missing two badges from Kalos so I never managed to enter the league. I just kinda went straight to Unova from there."

I perked up in my seat, "Why did you miss two badges?"

He sighed, "Well the Shalour City Gym was closed indefinitely and nobody knew where the Gym Leader was so that was a pain. Then the Lumiose City Gym Leader was psycho. I tried to get in but he chased me out with Magnemite!" He sighed. "Though I really wanna go back sometime."

I gasped, "Wow! And I thought my dad could be tough." At that point, the food (more like mountain) came. Jayden and I locked eyes. I could hear the tumbleweed rolling behind us. Then the Litwick on our table called out its name and we took off.

Nothing was sacred. Boundaries were broken down. Seas split. Continents sunk. Angels wept. It was a catastrophe and a battle of apocalyptic proportions.

Really, we just ate sloppily and made some of the other diners look at us funny. But it was a conquest. We locked eyes again and both groaned, "Truce" in unison.

After a while, Jayden walked me to my room in the Pokemon Center. "Don't you have your own place to get to?" I asked.

He smiled, "Well I couldn't go home knowing there's a beautiful girl who might be alone tonight. I laughed and slapped his chest. (Shit! That hurt?! Seriously, he's like a Registeel!) "Good night Jayd-" The sound of my Pokenav going off alerted me to the desk in my room. I ran towards it and saw a missed call from Ash and a new email from...Ash. _Must be important._

I scanned the email. _Journey...Dawn and Brock...Kalos...Sunda-wait wait wait what?!_ I read the email over again. Then I had another light bulb. ( **A.N. Light bulbs are very common in adolescents** ) I checked my doorway. Empty.

I dashed out, feeling my large meal start to surface but I swallowed and continued with determination. _Not in the lobby_. He was barely outside the Pokemon Center. I jumped up and tackled him from behind, knocking Pikachu off his shoulder. Pikachu landed on the ground in a battle position.

After I helped him up I explained to Jayden, "How would you like to come with me and Ash and two other people to Kalos on Friday. But that means you'd have to come with me to Kanto tomorrow." I paled when I realized how crazy it sounded. _It sounded so much simpler in my head._

Jayden looked at me with a puzzled expression as Pikachu hopped on his shoulder. "So you want me to come with you, a girl I met this morning, to a faraway region to meet with strangers and one kid I've heard of through some acquaintances to another region I've already visited, tomorrow?"

I nodded before sheepishly adding, "Well you already bought me dinner. I figure you should meet the folks." I hit myself internally for that joke.

But Jayden and Pikachu broke out into a grin, "What time do we leave?"

 **So that's it for Chapter 1. Hope you guys liked it! Please review if you did and if you didn't still review cuz again, I like feedback.**

 **Also remember I want your OCs so PM them to me or post them in a review or whatever you want.**

 **Peace!**


	2. Pallet Party Palooza

**Wow that was fast. I'm in a writing frenzy so let's hope I get these chapters out fast!**

 **I hope you like this new chapter. I've left an OC form on my Profile Page in case you wanted to send one in. If you have any questions, PM me or ask in a review.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. If I did, Pikachu wouldn't completely reset every region. Seriously, how did that Snivy beat Pikachu like 10 episodes after he beat a Latios? LATIOS! But I digress.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Pallet Party Palooza (Not to be confused with Pallet Party Panic)**

Pallet Town, Kanto (Morning)

 _ **Ash's POV**_

I yawned and stretched out my arms. Pikachu sat up next to me and shook his whole body. I checked my alarm clock: 9:28, Thursday, August 13th.

I rubbed my eyes before I realized the date. I checked the clock again. No change. I turned to Pikachu and grinned, "Buddy, you know what today is?"

'Pika?' He cocked his head with a puzzled look.

My grin got even wider, "It's Thursday. May's coming today!" _It's been such a long time. Too long. I can't wait to see her!_

I raced out my bedroom door, Pikachu trailing right behind me. I turned around the corner to the stairs and SMACK. Ran right into Dawn. Who fell. While grabbing me. Who also fell. Down the stairs. Painfully.

Brock walked out of the living room, "Are you two okay?" All he got in response were two groans and one laughing rodent.

After being inspected for a concussion, we all sat down for breakfast. As always, Brock didn't disappoint with bacon pancakes.

"Would you like some chocolate syrup with those pancakes Ash?" Brock asked, holding up a brown bottle. With a mouth full of food I nodded and proceeded to empty the bottle on my plate.

Dawn giggled, "I guess some things never change." Piplup and Pikachu were on the floor, demolishing their bowls of Pokemon food. Pikachu insisted we cover his food with ketchup.

After completely clearing my plate, the three of us went to the living room to watch TV. The only thing on was some show about famous trainers of the era or something like that.

Brock turned to me, "So Ash, what time did May say she was going to get here?" I thought for a second before pulling out my phone to check, "She said around 11 this morning." Then something on the email caught my eye, "She's bringing a friend...she says he's a really strong trainer and he'll be lots of fun on our journey."

Brock smiled, "That sounds interesting. It'll be good to meet new people since we're traveling with old friends only." I nodded before thinking, _Why do I feel a little sad? I love meeting new people? I guess I'm just surprised there's someone she'd want to bring. Hehe. I guess I let it get to my head that I was May's only friend. But she's bound to have other friends. She's so nice and pretty and...wait...what was that?_

At that point, Brock pointed to the TV, "Hey look Dawn! You're on TV!" Dawn and I looked over in time to see a clip of Dawn battling Harley in what I assumed was the Hoenn Grand Festival.

Dawn bowed her head, "Aww man. That battle was so embarrassing!" I could see what she meant; Harley kept talking to her and you could see Dawn get flustered and frustrated. Of course we couldn't hear what he was saying cuz the clip was muted for the TV host to talk over it but it couldn't have been good.

I put my arm on Dawn's shoulder, "Hey cheer up! Harley's just a jerk. You'll do better next time!"

She perked her head up and replied, "Hey, no need to worry!" Then the clock chimed. We all looked over and gasped: it was 11 already?!

We all looked at each other and raced out the door to the docks. Mid-sprint I yelled, "We'd better hurry if we want to meet them in time! Pikachu, go ahead of us and try to find May." Pikachu nodded and took off, using his Quick Attack to speed down the hills to the coast line.

* * *

 _ **Pikachu's Perspective**_

After I got to the dock, I looked around for any sign of May. Last time Pikapi and I saw her, she had an green hat so I looked for that. But there was no sign of her.

I climbed to the top of a small stand and tried to find her in the sea of humans getting off the boat. I could've sworn I saw her hat but I couldn't see her again. Then I heard someone call my name.

"Pikachu! Down here!" I looked down and cried out in joy when I saw Glaceon. I leaped down and nuzzled her cheek. as she did the same

"It's good to see you again Glaceon! Where's May?" I asked.

"She sent me out to look for you and Ash. Where is he?"

I pointed back to the hills, "Pikapi and the others are on their way. They sent me ahead to try and find you." Glaceon nodded and led me to where May was. The second I saw her, I jumped into her arms and nuzzled into her torso.

"Pikachu! It's so good to see you." She stroked my back and I cooed in response, which earned me a giggle.

Then I saw the human sitting next to her. He smiled at me and extended a hand. I sniffed it but he smelled nice so I licked his fingers. He laughed. Then I saw he had a Pikachu in his lap too.

"Hiya!" the other Pikachu greeted me with a closed fist. I didn't know what to do so just stuck out my fist too. Then he bumped his fist to mine. "I'm Pika!"

"I'm Pikachu. Is he your trainer?" I asked pointing to the human.

Pika nodded, "Yea. Are you Ash's Pikachu?"

I was surprised, "How do you know I'm Ash's Pikachu?" Pika pointed up to May and I understood, "So she told you."

May smiled at me, "Pikachu, this is Jayden. Jayden, this is Ash's Pikachu."

Jayden stroked the spot in between my ears and I sighed in happiness. _He knows how to treat a Pikachu._ "Nice to meet you Pikachu."

I jumped down to the ground and pointed to the hills, "Let's go meet Pikapi!"

May smiled, "You're gonna take us to Ash? Okay let's go!" May and Jayden put their backpacks on and I looked at the former. May was taller than before and had more of what Pikapi calls 'girl parts'. She still had the same clothes and hair as the last time I saw her.

Once we walked over the hills, we ran into Pikapi, Dawn and Brock. They were all exhausted from the run. "Pikapi!" I cried, jumping back onto his shoulders.

He stroked my chin. "Awesome job, Pikachu!" Then he wrapped his arms around May, "It's good to see you again!" May did the same.

After that, May wrapped up Brock and waved hi to Dawn. Meanwhile, Pikapi said hello to Jayden.

"Hi. I'm Ash! And you've met Pikachu!" He gestured to me and I did a little peace sign.

Dawn chimed in, "Wow! Another Pikachu!" She rubbed Pika's chin and he cooed for her. _I do it better_ , I thought to myself. "Hi I'm Dawn."

"And I'm Brock."

Jayden smiled, "I'm Jayden. It's good to meet you all." Pika let out a few sparks and Jayden laughed a little, "And this is my partner Pika."

* * *

 _ **May's POV**_

After we exchanged greetings, Ash took us back to his house where we all sat around the living room, some TV special going on in the background.

"So Jayden, where are you from?" Dawn asked.

Jayden looked up from petting Ash's Pikachu, who seemed to take a liking to him, "Well I'm from Hokkaido, where May and I met the other day. What about you guys?"

"I'm from Sinnoh" Dawn chimed in, with Piplup cheering for his home region.

Brock went next, "Both Ash and I are from Kanto."

Jayden turned to me, "And I know you're from Hoenn." I laughed a little, remembering the whole 'Princess of Hoenn' fiasco at the Battle Spire the other day.

"So you're a trainer? Where've you been to?" Ash asked as Pikachu returned to his lap.

Jayden thought for a second, "Well I've been through Hokkaido, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Johto. I kinda skimmed through Kalos and Unova though." He laughed sheepishly at that.

"So you've already been to Kalos? What's it like?" Brock asked.

"Fancy I guess is the best word to describe it. Everyone there is super elite and strong. Plus they have an obsession with fashion and shopping." I could see Dawn get excited when Jayden mentioned fashion. And I got excited when he mentioned shopping.

But Ash was the most excited, "Oh man, I bet there's gonna be so many strong trainers there! I can't wait!" Then pouted, "But we can't leave until tomorrow."

Jayden laughed before asking, "Hey, since we're here in Pallet Town, do you guys know where Professor Oak's lab is? I wanted to see him again."

Ash raised an eyebrow, "You've met Professor Oak?"

"Yea. Back when I went through Johto, I ran into him right before the Silver Conference. He gave me some good advice and even helped me train a Pokemon."

Ash jumped up and ran out the door yelling, "Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

We all chased after him and reached Oak's Lab in a matter on minutes.

"Wow" Jayden exclaimed, "So this is Professor Oak's Lab. It's pretty cool, right Pika?" Pika nodded, 'Pikachu!'

We walked out to the ranch where Ash separated from the group as he tried to take on his Tauros herd. Dawn went off to help him while Brock led Jayden and I to where Prof. Oak was.

Once I saw him, I called out, "Hey Prof. Oak!" He turned around and smiled and I saw Gary behind him.

"Well if it isn't May! Glad to see you again." He smiled at me before he took notice of Jayden, "Well you're a sight for sore eyes. Jayden Yagami, correct?"

Jayden nodded, "Yea. It's good to see you again Prof. I wanted to say thanks again for all your help at the Silver Conference. I probably wouldn't have done as well as I did if you didn't help me out." Prof. Oak waved his hand, a cheesy grin on his face.

At that point Gary walked up, "Hey Jayden. It's been a while."

Jayden's eyes widened, "Hey Gary! How've you been?"

"I'm doing fine, although you might not be in five minutes"

Brock and I got confused, "What do you mean?"

Gary pointed at Jayden, "I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!"

Jayden sweatdropped little, "Didn't I win last time?" Gary's face reddened slightly, prompting Brock and I to giggle slightly. "But I'll accept." Jayden turned to Prof. Oak, "I Now you can see how I've improved." Prof. Oak gave him a thumbs up.

Jayden and Gary took opposite positions on the grassy field and Brock walked to the center, "Okay I'll be the referee. Let's have a three round battle. Substitute Pokemon each round. That okay with you two?" Gary and Jayden nodded. "Then begin!"

Jayden grabbed a Pokeball from his backpack, "Riolu, you're up!" A small blue dog appeared in a flash of light. I saw he had a little white stone attached to his upper right arm.

"Hey Professor, what's that on Riolu's arm?" I asked.

Prof. Oak looked carefully, "Ah! That's an Everstone May. It prevents a Pokemon from evolving." Prof. Oak looked at Jayden, "Is that the same Riolu I helped you with back then?"

Jayden gave him a thumbs up, "Yea, sure is! Since then, we've gotten a lot stronger, right Riolu?"

'Rio!' Riolu pumped his fist.

Gary released his Electivire and started off, "Thunderpunch!" Electivire's fist crackled with electricity as he charged at Riolu.

"Dodge with Quick Attack! Then Focus Punch!" Riolu vanished behind Electivire and punched him with a glowing arm. Electivire slid forward several feet before standing up and leaping back to Gary's side.

My mouth hung open, "Wow! That was a really strong Focus Punch!"

Prof. Oak nodded, "Yes it was. That Riolu's been raised exceptionally well. Even at the Silver Conference, Jayden defeated a few gifted trainers with Riolu."

"Now Electivire, Thunderbolt." A large yellow bolt of lightning struck Riolu, causing the jackal to wince.

"Hand in there Riolu. Use Blaze Kick!" Riolu's foot caught fire as he jumped up and smacked Electivire across the face. The latter roared as the burn took hold.

"While he's down Riolu, use Aura Sphere!" Riolu formed a blue ball in his hands and threw it. It collided with Electivire, causing the electric-type to fall over, his eyes replaced by swirls.

"Woah!" I heard Dawn cry as she and Ash ran up to us. "That Riolu knows Aura Sphere?"

"It's just like that one we met back in Sinnoh!" Ash added, his eyes transfixed on the battle.

Prof. Oak nodded, "That Riolu's even more well trained than I thought if he's able to use aura already. Jayden must've done some special training with him." I could've sworn I saw something in Prof. Oak's eyes when he said that.

Brock raised his arm towards Jayden, "Electivire is unable to battle, Riolu wins."

Gary thought for a moment. "Go Blastoise!" Gary's turtle appeared and I gulped. _That Blastoise is strong! He's way bigger than mine._

Jayden recalled Riolu, "Take a rest buddy." He exchanged Pokeballs, "Go Dragonair!" A blue serpent emerged from the thrown Pokeball. "Dragonair, use Dragon Pulse."

"Counter with Water Gun, Blastoise!" The two attacks clashed in midair before exploding.

Jayden smiled, "Evenly matched huh? Then use Draco Meteor!" Dragonair launched a ball of orange energy into the sky where it burst apart, sending several blasts headed to Blastoise.

Gary smirked, "Blastoise, use Rapid Spin!" Blastoise retreated into his shell and spun rapidly. When the meteors struck the shell, they rebounded off. One hit Dragonair dead on.

"Dragonair! Are you okay?" Jayden asked. His Pokemon nodded and stared at Blastoise with fury.

"Wow. I gotta remember to try that with Squirtle." Ash thought aloud.

"Dragonair, use Dragon Pulse once more!" Dragonair launched a beam of purple, red and blue energy at Blastoise. Blastoise shielded his arms from the attack but skidded back a few yards.

"Blastoise, Ice Beam!" Gary cried. Blastoise launched a powerful white energy beam at Dragonair.

"Dodge and use Dragon Tail!" But Jayden was too slow and Dragonair was knocked out on contact. Jayden sighed and recalled his Pokemon, thanking it for the hard work. Jayden laughed, "I was hoping to wrap this up in 2 rounds but I guess not."

"Dragonair is unable to battle, Blastoise wins." Brock announced. "Both of you choose your final Pokemon.

Gary recalled Blastoise, "Go Umbreon!" A small black fox appeared in a flash of light.

Jayden didn't even hesitate, "Pika, you're up." Pika leaped off of Jayden's shoulder and readied himself. Jayden curtsied to Gary, "You can have the first move."

Gary smirked, "That's a mistake. Umbreon, Shadow Ball." Umbreon launched a black orb outlined in purple at Pika.

"Electro Ball." The two spheres collided but Electro Ball powered through and struck Umbreon.

"What?" Gary exclaimed in shock, "What just happened?"

Prof. Oak explained, "Electro Ball is a move that gets stronger depending on how much faster the user is than the target. That Pikachu must be very fast." On cue, Pika pumped his fists.

"Pika, use Thunderbolt!" Pika launched a yellow bolt of lightning right at Umbreon.

Gary quickly countered, "Dodge with Dig." Umbreon burrowed its way underground.

"Pika, be on your guard." Jayden called.

'Pikachu!' he replied, readying himself. Then all of a sudden, Pika jumped high as Umbreon burst out of the ground. But Pika started to panic when he saw Umbreon charging a point-blank Dark Pulse.

"Pika!" Jayden cried as Pika was sent flying back. Umbreon landed next to Gary, who cheered at the successful attack.

"Looks like I win this one." Gary called out. But then Pika jumped back onto the field.

"You okay Pika?" Pika nodded and gave Jayden a thumbs up. "Awesome. Then Iron Tail at full speed." Pika's tail started to shine like metal and he took off, dashing right next to Umbreon in the blink of an eye.

"Wow!" Dawn cried, "That was some speed." Pika slammed into Umbreon. The ground cracked and caved in, causing Umbreon to fall. Pikachu used his tail to push up high.

Gary was dumbfounded. "How did the ground cave in like that?"

Jayden snickered. "Remember Umbreon's dig?" Gary's eyes widened with the realization.

I smiled, "Jayden used the tunnels Umbreon dug to trap him. That's pretty creative." _So much for not having the right mindset of a coordinator._

Jayden looked up to his still airborne Pikachu. "Pika, let's finish this up with Volt Tackle!" Pika's body became enveloped in yellow electricity. He dove right at Gary's trapped Umbreon and smacked right into him. The ground shook slightly and a dust cloud rose up. Pikachu leaped out, panting but otherwise fine.

"I guess that recoil took a fair chunk out of him." Dawn mused.

When the dust cleared, Umbreon was knocked out to nobody's surprise. "Umbreon is unable to battle, Pikachu is the winner. Thus the victory goes to Jayden."

Jayden cheered and enveloped Pika in a hug. Then Riolu burst out of his Pokeball and leaped into Jayden's arms. "Good job you two! I'm really proud of you both!" Then Jayden picked up Dragonair's Pokeball from his backpack, "And you were awesome too, so take a good rest."

Gary walked up to Jayden while rubbing his head, "Oh man. That was brutal. I'd forgotten how crazy fast your Pikachu was. And Riolu improved a whole lot." Gary patted both Pokemon is Jayden's arms.

The two of them walked back where I high-fived Jayden. "Awesome battle!" Dawn and Ash agreed.

He smiled, "Thanks you guys." He turned to Ash, "I'm kinda curious as to how strong your Pikachu is. But I think that battle will have to wait." he said as he gestured to his tired but nevertheless happy electric-type.

Ash pumped his fist, "I can't wait. It's so cool that your Riolu knows Aura Sphere." Riolu puffed out his chest at that comment, only for Pikachu to shock him slightly with his finger.

Jayden dropped the scuffling duo before responding, "Yea I was surprised when Riolu picked it up too." Riolu looked up a Jayden while holding Pikachu's throat, as if he was saying 'the hell does that mean?'

"I wonder what the Pokedex says about Riolu?" I muttered aloud as I pulled mine out and scanned the small dog Pokemon.

"Riolu, the Emanation Pokemon. It has the peculiar power of being able to see emotions such as joy and rage in the form of waves." the Pokedex sounded off.

I put my Pokedex back in my backpack and checked my watch, "Wow! It's already 4? We haven't eaten lunch yet." As if on cue, Jayden's, Ash's, Dawn's and my stomach growled loudly. We laughed sheepishly.

"Never fear, the Brockster is here!" Brock exclaimed as he magically procured a large picnic basket.

Jayden sweatdropped slightly and whispered to me, "Does he call himself Brockster a lot?" I sighed and nodded.

"I'll go get the Pokemon food" Gary offered as he walked through the sliding doors. Without hesitating, we all scurried to the picnic benches set up under a nearby tree.

* * *

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

 _This is kinda nice._ I thought as I helped myself to another platter of BLT's. _Relaxing with friends who I just met today...something about that statement seems off._

Everyone had released their Pokemon to eat too. I quickly took note of who had what. Ash only had Pikachu but May told me all of his Pokemon were on the ranch. May brought along her Glaceon, Blaziken and Beautifly. Dawn had Piplup, Mamoswine, Buneary, Togekiss, Quilava and Pachirisu. Gary had all the Pokemon he used in our battle. Brock only brought his Croagunk with him.

I looked at my Pokemon: Pika, Riolu, Grovyle, Dragonair and Gigalith. Pika and Groyvle seemed to be getting along well with everyone. Riolu was getting babied by Togekiss, which was more or less normal. Gigalith was comparing his blue crystals to Ash's Boldore's red ones.. And Dragonair was flaunting himself in front of the coordinators' Pokemon. _Damn...He's a total tool...and Pokemon are supposed to reflect their trainer's personality...oh shit._

I sat down next to Brock on the bench. "What'd I miss?"

Swallowing his food, Ash explained, "Well we're just discussing plans for tomorrow. Alexa will be here tomorrow morning and then we're catching a plane straight to Kalos. From there, it's gonna be gym after gym!" Ash stood up and pumped his fist as he finished his sentence. _Why did he have to stand up? Something's really off with these guys_ I mused with a slight sweatdrop.

May pulled Ash back down, "Don't forget about the contests!"

"Yea! The contests!" Dawn added with a grin but I swore I saw something in her eyes.

 _Something's bothering her. I can't tell what but there's definitely something._

After our late lunch, we all went back to Ash's house, where his mom greeted us at the door.

"Hi everyone. Did you have fun?" she asked with a smile. We all nodded and walked inside, collapsing on the couches.

Ash sighed, "Only a few more hours until we're out there. Right Pikachu?" Pikachu nodded and grinned, sparks flying out of his cheeks. Ash turned to me, "So Jayden, what're you gonna do in Kalos?"

I thought for a second and responded, "Probably try to finish getting all 8 badges and then compete in the Kalos League."

Ash looked surprised, "You haven't gotten all the badges yet? I thought you already went through Kalos."

I laughed and pulled out the badge case I retrieved before I left Hokkaido. I opened it up, revealing six badges and two empty slot. "I uhh...ran into some trouble with these last two badges so I decided to just go to another region and come back some other time."

Pika shocked me slightly and looked up at me in confusion. He knew damn well that was a lie. But I couldn't tell them the truth. _Don't need anymore people telling me I'm insane. Or a freak. Although I guess you would be the one to tell me to be honest, right buddy?_

Pika nodded in agreement with my statement.

I looked up; the gang was talking about some movie I think...something about Dialga and Palkia and a magic song. I turned to May, who also seemed to be zoning out. She caught my gaze. Feeling playful, I winked at her. She blushed slightly and giggled.

Dawn looked at us funny so I winked at her. And wow. I was not disappointed. The only time I ever saw anybody turn that red was when Pikachu ate a Tamato Berry.

"Are you okay Dawn? You look like you're getting a fever." Ash said while he put his hand on Dawn's forehead which only made her blush more. I sat back in my chair, Pikachu quietly snickering into my shirt.

Later that night, we all got ready for bed. Ash and I put blankets on the couches in the living room since we decided to let Dawn and May have the guestrooms and Brock would take Ash's room. I opened my Pokeballs, letting Riolu out. He and Pikachu quickly jumped on the couch, hopping up and down while I crawled into bed.

"I'm guessing they don't like their Pokeballs. Pikachu hates his too" Ash pointed to the snoring mouse on his couch.

I turned around and laughed a little, "Well Riolu's just a big baby so he likes the attention." I rubbed his head as I said that to let him know I was just teasing. "And Pika doesn't have a Pokeball so he doesn't have a choice really."

Ash looked bewildered. "No Pokeball? Then how is he your Pokemon?"

I shrugged, "I've been raising him since he was an Egg so he's kinda connected to me in a way. He's never left my side so I never really felt like I needed to put him in a Pokeball."

Ash cocked his head like he was deep in thought before he crawled under his blanket and started to snore almost immediately. I sweatdropped and laughed and did the same. I closed my eyes.

I woke up with a start. I looked around, my heart pounding against my chest. I didn't see anything. I looked harder. I didn't see anything. I checked the clock. 3:24 AM. The sun wasn't even close to being out.

'Pika chupika?' Pika asked me with concern, sleepily rubbing his eyes. I patted his head and he went back to sleep. I looked at Riolu. Still asleep.

 _What the hell just happened? I felt...something._ I looked around again and suddenly heard a quite mumbling. Ash.

"Ash wins again...Kalos League..." he muttered, still sound asleep. I looked at him. _Nothing._ I looked harder. _Definitely not nothing! Most definitely not nothing!_

I inspected Ash. _I don't believe it. It's incredible. Not since...not since_ _him_ _. If this isn't some weird hallucination...then...wow._

I fell back into my couch bed. _This journey might be more interesting than I thought._

* * *

 **So that's Chapter 2. I hope you liked it. Remember it only takes a few seconds to review.**

 **If you have any ideas for the story, send them in because I might like to do a couple filler chapters cuz they're pretty fun to play with.**

 **If you have any OC's, PM me or leave them in a review.**

 **Next chapter should be out soon. Peace!** ~(o'_'o)~


	3. It's About to Go Down

**Wow. I am just on an update roll. Anyways, more author's notes. Yayyyyynotreally.**

 **-The whole story is gonna be first person, mostly from Jayden's or Ash's perspective but there will be variety.**

 **-There will be bashing of characters. That doesn't mean I hate them. Just means that they're being picked on for comedic effect.**

 **-The pairings are not decided. *GASP* I know. I know. Shocking. But** **I'll leave a poll on my profile** **that'll ask you what pairings you want to see in the story.** **Doesn't mean it'll be permanent,** **but let me know if you want some pearlshipping or ikarishipping (advanceshipping is a given. Duh)**

 **Also want to shout out to Espeon44 and BlackRubyADV for the kind words and encouragement.**

 **And Black Chains of Abyss, yes I will be keeping this version. Thanks for following the fic after all this time!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon cuz they don't read my emails**

 **Chapter 3: It's About to Go Down...and Then it Does**

Lumiose City, Kalos Region (Noonish)

 _ **Jayden's Perspective**_

I rubbed my eyes as I waited in line to get off of the plane. I looked at my shoulder and grimaced slightly; Dawn had fell asleep on my shoulder and drooled over it. Of course I didn't wake her cuz basic math: Pretty girl sleeping on my shoulder drool stain. I know math. I went to school...before I was 10.

I yawned again. Most of us were still wearing our pajamas since we had to leave so early. Ash was somehow full of energy and even put all of our bags in Alexa's car before we woke up. We were out the door by 5 AM so needless to say, we were a little crabby.

Of course I didn't sleep much last night. I couldn't let go of what I saw and I stayed up the rest of the night thinking about it. And I never think when there's thinking to be done.

At long last we reached the front of the plane. I shook myself slightly to rouse May, who fell asleep on back. When she lifted herself off me, I grimaced again. Great...another stain. I really need to change this shirt.

We met up with Ash and Alexa at the platform outside. Pikachu waved to Pika to jump onto Ash's shoulder. After the little traitor abandoned me, Pikachu started up some big discussion on...ketchup? Nah, that couldn't be it.

Ash ran to edge of the stairs. "HELLO KALOS REGION!" he shouted as my eardrums shattered.

"What're you doing?" Alexa asked him.

"Just saying hi to the Kalos region!"

I growled, "Could you please say hi a little quieter?" I shook my shoulder; May fell asleep again.

She snapped up, "Huh? Huh? I'm awake! I'm fine!" I sweatdropped.

"Alright you guys! Ready to start a new adventure?" Brock, who was probably the only other one awake, gave Ash a thumbs up. May, Dawn and I just gave a lazy nod. "Then let's go!" Ash cheered as he raced off the platform and fell about 20 feet down to the bottom of the stairs. It was actually impressive how badly he fell. "Not again" he groaned at the bottom.

After Brock inspected him for injuries, (seriously, how is he not dead?) Alexa walked us off the dock where we landed. "This is Lumiose City. It's basically Kalos's metropolitan hub." She pointed to a large white structure poking out from the edge of the buildings in front of us, "That's the Prism Tower, the centerpiece of the city and the Lumiose Gym."

Ash's eyes sparkled, "Wow! Our first day here and there's already a gym! Is that your sister's gym Alexa?"

Alexa shook her head, "Viola's gym is in Santalune City, which is a little ways from her. If I remember, the gym leader here is a young guy named Clemont. Right around your age I think." Alexa tapped her chin, trying to think of anything else.

May, who finally woke up, tapped Ash's shoulder, "But first, we should probably change clothes." I thought it was a fair request, considering I was wearing a lopsided beanie, sweatpants and a soggy t-shirt. But Ash looked like May like she cooked Pikachu for dinner.

"What?"His head grew with rage cuz anime, "Do you mean stop somewhere BEFORE my gym battle?" We all sweatdropped and laughed nervously.

Brock walked forward, "Ash, it wouldn't hurt to let everyone refresh after the long flight." But Ash still pouted we'd somehow offended his great ancestors.

I suddenly had an idea for how to convince him, "If we go to a Pokemon Center, I could call some of my Pokemon from Kalos. I bet they'd love to be back home." I grabbed Ash's collar and fell to my knees and let anime-style tears fall, "It's just so sad to be away from home for so long. Think of how depressed they must be! Oh the Pokemon!" I looked up from my performance to see how it was working. Sure enough, Ash was also crying anime tears and pumped his fist.

"Alright! Let's go to the Pokemon Center and bring your Pokemon back home!" Then he took off towards the city.

Alexa chased after him, "Wait Ash! You don't know where you're going!" Brock chased after her, spewing some stuff about true love's curse while his Croagunk chased after him, a Poison Jab at the ready.

May patted my shoulder and Dawn gave me a couple soft claps, "Inspiring performance."

I bowed, "Thank you, thank you. I try." Then I noticed we were abandoned. "Uh guys...I think they left us." Then my shoulder felt unusually light, "And Pika's with them. Great" I griped as we started to jog in Ash's general direction.

After a while, we spotted Alexa and Croagunk, who was dragging around an unconscious Brock.

"Hey Alexa! You guys find Ash?" I asked once we reached them.

She shook her head no, "He's a little too energetic I guess." She laughed nervously.

May shook her head in disbelief, "I can't believe we've been here for less than 15 minutes and we've already lost Ash."

"Hey, why don't we split up and go look for him?" Dawn chimed in.

"Yea that sounds like a great idea!" Alexa remarked. May nodded in agreement.

I cut in, "That's not necessary you guys." When they looked at me funny, I threw a Pokeball into the air. 'Riolu!' my jackal called as he materialized. "I can have Riolu use his aura to track down Ash. You guys go on to the Pokemon Center and once I find Ash, I'll meet you there!"

May looked at me with a slightly worried glance, "You sure you'll be okay without us?"

I waved my hand, "Nah. With Riolu it'll only take a few minutes before I find him. Plus, if we all split up, then we could get lost and that'd be a disaster. Anyways, I remember where the Pokemon Center is from the last time I was here." I gave my most reassuring smile and she nodded. Alexa led the group (Croagunk is still carrying Brock) away while Riolu and I took off running.

* * *

 _ **Ash's POV**_

"Ummm...this isn't the Pokemon Center." I said to the two Pikachu on my shoulder. I thanked Arceus that Pika had an extra stripe on his back otherwise I probably would've had trouble telling them apart. And I was in enough hot water without Pikachu being mad at me.

I walked through the streets of the city. It was pretty, with lots of little shops and cafes. As if on cue, my stomach growled and I groaned. "What'dya say we get some food?" I asked my companions. They nodded and I walked up a nice looking food stand.

"Hello sir. What may I get for you?" the lady running the stand asked.

I quickly scanned over the menu, "I'll have two Casteliacones" Pika coughed "Errr-I mean 3 Casteliacones!" Once she handed over the ice cream, the three of us dug in and within a couple of seconds, we were empty handed again.

I sat down, "Man, I wonder where the other guys are. Maybe they went to the Pokemon Center. Ahh I should've asked for directions!" I looked at Pikachu and Pika, "Why don't we look for them?" They agreed and we ran off...too bad we still didn't know where to look.

After a while though, I heard a familiar voice, "Hey Ash!"

I turned around. "Hey! We found you!"

He sweatdropped, "Actually, Riolu and I found you." Riolu punched his leg, "Fine, Riolu found you." Riolu nodded and puffed out his chest.

'Kachupi!' Pika yelled as he jumped onto Jayden's head. Jayden recalled Riolu and told Pikachu and I to follow him.

"So the other guys are at the South Lumiose Pokemon Center so we'll just meet them there. And after we rest up, we can go have our gym battles!" Jayden grinned in excitement.

I raised an eyebrow, "You need a gym battle here?" Then I remembered he was missing two badges, "That's right! You're missing a badge from here, aren't you?" Jayden nodded.

While we were walking, we passed by a large mansion with a big gate that had a Pokeball symbol on it. "Wonder what that is?" I thought out loud.

Jayden thought for a second, "Ummm...I think this is a Pokemon Research Lab." He pointed to a sign on the gate.

I stopped immediately and raced for the gate. Only Jayden grabbed my hoodie and wouldn't let go. "Come on Jayden! Pokemon!" I moaned.

He just shook his head and pointed to a nearby building with an orange roof. "I already had to track you down once today; I'm not exactly keen to do it again. Plus, I think everyone else'd like to see the lab too." I stopped struggling and nodded.

Once we entered the Pokemon Center, Jayden raced off to the bathroom while I met up with Alexa, May, Dawn and Brock who all got dressed.

"Thank goodness Jayden found you! This city's too huge to just take off like that." Alexa said.

I rubbed my head, "Sorry for running off like that guys. But at least we got to the Pokemon Center just like you guys wanted!"

Brock laughed, "I guess you really haven't changed Ash. Still impulsive and energetic as ever." I frowned. I have most certainly changed! My vocabulary's expanded, for one. And...uhhh...

* * *

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

Once I finished changing and exchanged some of my Pokemon, (after all, that was the only reason Ash agreed to come here) we said bye to Alexa who had to go back to work. As we waved goodbye, I got thinking. Was there something I had to-"Oh shit." I said a little too loud; I got some nasty glares from other trainers.

"Is everything alright Jayden?" Brock asked.

I rubbed my head sheepishly, "Well you see...I may have forgotten to tell my boss that I was coming on a journey. And considering my job is to be the backup frontier brain...well let's just say that I'm in trouble." I laughed slightly while crying on the inside. I really don't wanna deal with my boss when she's angry.

Ash walked to the exit, "Come on guys! Let's go check out the Pokemon Lab!" We followed him to the gate where we pressed a doorbell.

A voice immediately responded, "Hello? This is the Sycamore Research Lab."

"Hi! My name's Ash and I'm from Pallet Town. My friends and I heard about your lab and we're really wanted to check it out!"

"Pallet Town? You're from the Kanto Region?" the voice on the computer got noticeably more excited, "Well come on in then!" The gate swung in and the front door opened up, revealing a tall, thin man wearing a lab coat. "Hiya! I'm Prof. Sycamore! Welcome to my lab." He called as we walked in.

Prof. Sycamore led us through his lab. There were dozens of weird machines that I wouldn't even ask about. "So before I start the tour, who's who?" Prof. Sycamore asked.

"My name's May!"

"I'm Dawn. Good to meet you."

"My name's Brock. It's a pleasure."

"Hey! I'm Jayden and this is Pika." I gestured to Pika on my shoulder.

"My name's Ash and this is my partner Pikachu! We're here to challenge the Kalos League!"

Prof. Sycamore bowed his head slightly, "A pleasure to meet you all! Anyways, here at my lab, we conduct research on Pokemon evolution."

"What kind of evolution?" Dawn asked.

Sycamore smirked, "Mega Evolution." The others looked confused.

I explained, "Mega Evolution is a transformation certain Pokemon can undergo. It's different than normal evolution in the sense that it's dependent on a trainer's bond with their Pokemon and its only temporary." I turned to the professor, "Did I get that right?"

Prof. Sycamore beamed and nodded, "Couldn't have said it better myself! Indeed Mega Evolution is a wondrous concept. And it can completely change a Pokemon, turning a relatively weak Pokemon into a full fledged powerhouse in only an instant!"

"Wow. I wonder if I could learn how to do that." Ash mused out loud.

"Well anyone can master Mega Evolution. The only factor is how strong the bond between trainer and Pokemon is." At that point we reached a large field in the middle of the lab. Overhead, the ceiling was clear glass. You could even see a hot air balloon floating above us.

"This is where we keep the Pokemon we research." Prof. Sycamore walked over to a large purple dragon. "This is my partner Garchomp. She looks tough but don't worry; she's very gentle."

We all stroked Garchomp's snout. "Oh she reminds me of Cynthia's Garchomp." Brock mused before bursting into tears, "Cynthia! I'll see you yet again my love!" Dawn, May and I sweatdropped.

"He's got some issues, doesn't he?" I asked Dawn. She facepalmed and nodded.

At that point, the glass shattered above us. I shielded my face before looking up. That hot air balloon I saw before had burst through the ceiling and was descending rapidly. On the balloon itself was the letter 'R' in bright red.

"Prepare for trouble"

"Make it double"

"To protect the world from devasation"

"To unite all peoples within our nation"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love"

"To extend our reach to the-"

"Excuse me!" I called, "What're you doing?"

An angry red head screamed at me from the balloon's basket, "What does it look like we're doing? We're intimidating you with our motto!"

I raised an eyebrow, "But your motto's stupid." I heard my friends behind me snicker quietly. "Plus, uniting people and protecting the world is kinda good."

The guy with blue hair opened his mouth to speak before he thought about what I said. Then he turned to the red head and started whispering, "Jessie, maybe he's right...no I'm not going straight...no I'm not gay! That's a misconception about the line!"

All of a sudden, a Meowth popped up, "Meowth, that's right!"

My eyes widened, "A talking Meowth?! Go Quick Ball!" I threw the blue and yellow Pokeball as fast as I could.

"Hey what giv-" was all he could say before he was swallowed up by a flash of light. The ball rocked back and forth in front of a stunned Jessie and the blue-haired guy. But the ball opened up, revealing the Meowth. He was convulsing, "ARE YOU CRAZY?! IT WAS SO TIGHT IN THERE!" he screamed at me.

I turned to my friends, "So who're the clowns?"

Brock responded, "They're Team Rocket. They're a couple of criminals who try to steal other people's Pokemon. They've been following Ash through his journeys while trying to steal his Pikachu."

I sweatdropped, "So you're telling me that some known convicts" I pointed at Team Rocket, "Have been following him" I pointed at Ash, "For years on end?" Brock nodded. I turned around and asked the trio, "Hey! Are you guys pedophiles?"

Their heads blew up in anger, "We are not pedophiles! We just follow the twerps and twerpettes to steal their Pokemon."

I smirked, "You even gave them cute nicknames? Wow, you have a problem. You know there are counselors for this kind of stuff. We can get you the help you need." I put on my best concerned face to really drive home the point. My friends started laughing a little louder.

"Shut up will ya'?" Meowth shouted, veins bursting on his forehead, "James, use the Trap Collar Mark II to shut them up!"

James threw a small black box at Ash's Pikachu. I felt my fist heat up but before I could react, Prof. Sycamore's Garchomp shielded Ash. The box secured itself to Garchomp's neck before a beam of blue energy wrapped itself around her neck.

"Not our intended target but still an opportunity!" James declared as he tapped commands into a tablet. The energy beam turned crimson and Garchomp roared in pain, her eyes turning red as well.

"Garchomp? What's wrong?" Prof. Sycamore asked before Garchomp pushed him away. Then an black and purple beam started to form in her mouth.

I paled as I realized what was happening, "Everyone duck!" We all took shelter, with Ash and I both clutching our Pikachus to our chests. Garchomp launched the attack, slicing through the lab and the field with the attack, producing small explosions. One of those blasts hit Team Rocket.

"We're blasting off again!" they cried as they were reduced to a small twinkle in the distance. Wow. They're super lame.

I stood up once Garchomp's attack stopped. I reached out my hand, "It's okay Garchomp. We're here to help."

Garchomp only shook its head and took off through the hole Team Rocket had left towards the city. "Garchomp!" Prof. Sycamore cried. "If we don't stop Garchomp, she could do some major damage!"

Ash growled and ran out the door. "Ash wait!" May called before running after him.

I turned to Brock and Dawn, "You two take care of the Pokemon in the lab. We'll take care of Garchomp." I ran after Ash and May. I could make out Garchomp's silhouette in the sky, launching Hyper Beams at random. Small explosions resulted through the city and people ran indoors out of fear.

"Ash! May!" I called out through the panic. I heard a faint response in the distance but I couldn't make it out clearly.

After running for a while, I ran into Lumiose Central in front of Prism Tower. Officer Jenny had cordoned off the front entrance, which had a not-so subtle hole in the middle. I heard a loud roar from the top of the tower; Garchomp stood on a ledge a few hundred feet up, blasting Hyper Beams all over the place. Well that explains the hole.

"Jayden, over here!" Ash called from next to the tower. I worked my way through the crowd and ran into Ash and May by what looked like a back entrance door. "Can you help us break through this door? Maybe we can break into the tower through here and calm down Garchomp."

I nodded and proceeded to ram as hard as I could into the door. All that did was dislocate my shoulder. Damn that hurt.

May's face lit up and she released her Blaziken, "Jayden, do you have any water-type Pokemon with you?"

I realized her plan and grinned. "I gotcha back! Go Clawitzer." My blue crab-like Pokemon appeared in a flash of white light.

"Blaziken, use Flamethrower!" The flames made the door turn bright red.

"Now Clawitzer, use Water Gun!" The door cooled down but looked significantly more brown.

"Once more!" We both cried. This time, the door looked damn near ready to break.

I finished it up, "Crabhammer, let's go!" Clawitzer's glowing claw smashed through the brittle door with ease. I recalled my Pokemon and followed Ash, who already went inside. Following me was May.

But then I heard a roar and the breaking of stone. I looked up and saw large pieces of the tower falling down. I looked back at May who was in the way.

* * *

 **CLIFFHANGER!**

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 **jk Not really. Not a cliffhanger kind of guy. Hopefully you've already realized that this part is totally pointless and skipped ahead. If not, then I applaud you for either your love of my author's notes, or your sheer stupidity. I really hope it's the former. Anyways, back to the story.**

* * *

 _ **May's POV**_

I looked up when I heard Garchomp's roar and saw the rubble falling down.

 _Come on. Move it!...I can't move...why can't I move? I'm...i'm gonna di-_

At that point, there was a flash of blue and suddenly I was twenty feet away. I shielded my face as the rubble crashed to the ground, causing a dust cloud to appear.

 _W-what just happened?_ I looked around me. There was nobody else here. The closest person was in the crowd by the front. Then I remembered Ash and Jayden. I ran up to the wall of rubble and found a small hole. "Ash? Jayden? Are you guys okay?" I yelled through the opening.

Ash responded, "Yea we're fine. Are you okay?"

"Yea I'm okay...somehow."

I heard Ash breathe a sigh of relief "Okay great! You hang tight. We'll go up and save Garchomp!"

"Be careful you two!" I shouted but I heard their footsteps take off.

 _Please be careful._

* * *

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

Ash, Pikachu, Pika and I made our way up the stairs leading to the top of Prism Tower. We could see walls that had been reduced to rubble and wires that were letting off spontaneous bursts of sparks.

"It's like a war zone in here." I mused. 'Pika chupi' Pika nodded in agreement.

After what seemed like forever, we finally reached the end of the staircase. Ash opened the door and ran outside only to stop suddenly and cling to the wall; the walkway was pretty narrow and the drop was pretty high.

"Okay guys" he said to Pikachu and I, "One step at a time." Slowly but surely, we made it to the bend around the corner. And Garchomp was right there on the other end. Ash approached her, "Hey Garchomp! We're here to help you." Ash extended his hand, causing Garchomp to stop writhing for a while, staring directly at Ash. "You must be in a lot of pain right now, huh?"

I raised an eyebrow. _It's working! He's really getting through to Garchomp!_ I extended my hand out too, to show I didn't mean any harm.

Ash whispered to Pikachu, "If you use Thunderbolt on that collar, it shouldn't hurt Garchomp since she's a ground type." Pikachu nodded and launched a Thunderbolt attack on the collar. Garchomp wasn't fazed by the attack but the collar sparked and turned blue again. Garchomp immediately calmed down.

"Alright it worked!" Ash chanted before he ran towards Garchomp. I smiled. _He did it._ But our celebrations were cut short when the ledge crumbled away under Ash's feet; it didn't go undamaged during Garchomp's rampage.

"Ahh!" Ash cried. 'Pikapi!' Pikachu tried to catch Ash but his arms weren't long enough. I jumped and barely managed to catch his fingers in my arm. I winced as a shooting pain rocketed up my arm; I caught him with the arm I hurt when I ran into the door.

"I'll never let go Ash!" I yelled, my eyes shut in effort.

He looked up at me with a panicked expression, "That's what Rose said to Jack! And look how that ended up!" I cocked my head slightly at the impromptu pop culture reference before I felt both Ash and I being picked up.

Garchomp set us down softly before gesturing to her neck. "Okay Garchomp, let's get that collar off." I said. But the second I touched the collar, it started to release sparks and turned red again. Garchomp roared even louder than before and slashed her wing tip at us. It caught me on my cheek and arm and the force behind it sent me crashing back into Ash. Garchomp then took off, flying to the very top of the tower.

"Jayden, are you okay?" Ash asked with a concerned look. I winced slightly but nodded and took his hand to help me up. "That ladder right there, that'll take us to the next level." I saw what he meant and went after him.

The climb was slow and hazardous, mostly because of the fast winds at the high altitude. Plus there was a news helicopter right behind us that didn't help the situation. Ash pulled me up onto the ledge, which was even narrower this time around.

"We've gotta take care of that collar. Let's have our Pikachus use Iron Tail to try and destroy it." I said. Ash nodded.

"Pika(chu), use Iron Tail" we shouted. They ran forward with tails glowing white. They barrelled out of the way of Garchomp's Hyper Beam and slashed at the black box securing the collar in place. It shattered and Garchomp fell to her knees, completely exhausted.

I walked forward and patted her nose, "Sorry it took so long. That must've hurt a lot." She groaned in response.

"Uhh Jayden?" I turned around and choked; the news helicopter was spiraling out of control and heading right for us. "That last Hyper Beam must've hit it!"

The helicopter slammed into the peak of Prism Tower and I could see the reporter, cameraman and pilot jump from the helicopter. The entire tower shook from the impact, causing us to lose our balance.

* * *

 _ **May's POV**_

After the helicopter crashed, I could see them all start falling from the top of Prism Tower. "ASH! JAYDEN!" I screamed, my eyes wide with fear.

 _This...this is it? They're really going to die?! Ash...no!_

I shut my eyes and turned away. Then I felt a rush of wind by my side. I turned around and saw Ash, still holding onto Pikachu for dear life. "Ash!" I cried as I hugged him tightly.

"...c-can't breathe" he rasped and I let go, my eyes watering with joy. Then I looked at the tower and gasped.

A streak of blue light kept going up the tower and back down, each time depositing another person on the ground. First a cameraman, then a reporter, then a pilot, all of whom I guessed were from that news helicopter. Then finally Garchomp was set down and the streak vanished right in front of me. The next part I swear happened in slow motion; Jayden and Pika emerged from the where the light was and came to a skidding stop on all fours.

He was sweating like nobody's business and panting heavily. I noticed a couple bad gashes on his cheek and arm. Then he saw me looking at him and paled, "M-may?"

I didn't know what to say. I just looked at him with my mouth open. _What the hell just happened?_ I was about to question him but then, "Ash! May!" Dawn called as she, Brock, and Prof. Sycamore ran over to us.

"Garchomp are you okay?" Prof. Sycamore asked his fallen dragon.

'Gar garchomp' she weakly replied.

"Thank goodness. Take a good rest." Prof. Sycamore recalled his Pokemon before turning to us. "Are you all okay? I saw the helicopter crash into the ground and I feared the worst."

Ash waved his hand at the professor, "Yea we're all fine. We're just glad Garchomp's okay, right Pikachu?"

'Pikachu!' Pikachu pumped his fist.

Then I noticed Ash glance quickly at Jayden who was getting a Potion treatment from Brock. _Did he see something? Maybe he saw what I saw. But what did I see?_

* * *

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

 _Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. She saw me. She knows. She's gonna hate me. They're all gonna hate me! It's like we're the 2016 GOP Presidential Candidates and I'm Donald Trump...wait is that even relevant in this universe?_ These were the only thoughts I had when Prof. Sycamore led us back to his lab. He sat us down in the same coffee room as before while he handed off Garchomp's Pokeball to one of his assistants.

"Well that was an exciting day." Prof. Sycamore sighed as he walked, removing his lab coat and throwing in on a chair. "How are you feeling Jayden? I hope you aren't hurt too badly."

I laughed nervously, "Nah I'm fine. Brock's a pro doctor!"

Brock smiled, "It's my pleasure." He really was a pro. He applied potion fresh bandages to my cuts and even secured my dislocated arm into a sling. Hell, he even gave me a lollipop. If that's not the definition of professional, then I don't know what is.

Ash chimed in, "Is Garchomp gonna be all right?" He was legitimately worried. _I'm not sure if I ever met anybody who cares this much about a Pokemon he just met. Hell, he almost died like five times tonight!_

Sycamore responded, "She'll be fine. She just needs some rest." He sighed, "Although the lab is kind of a mess right now. I'll have to postpone all my experiments and research while I fix it back up." Then he groaned and face-palmed, "Argh! And I have a new trainer coming in tomorrow!"

Ash stood up, "No need to worry Prof. Sycamore! We'll help you clean up your lab, won't we guys?" We all nodded, although Dawn looked like Ash had just stolen something right in front of her. Maybe a catchphrase...nah; that'd be ridiculous.

Then Ash yawned, prompting Prof. Sycamore to chuckle, "I appreciate the offer, but it's been a long day for everyone. I say we call it a night and save the work for tomorrow. Sound good?"

"Yeah!" everyone else yelled with a jump. I just sweatdropped. _So overdramatic. I hope it doesn't rub off on me._

Prof. Sycamore insisted we stay at the lab and offered all of us our own rooms. After tucking Riolu and Pika into a pillowcase I took from my bed ( _I swear to god, you are all infants_ ), I opened the door to go to the bathroom. But when I opened the door, I found May with an arm extended like she was about to knock.

"May?" I started to mentally kick myself before I put on my best confident smirk "If you wanted an invitation to my bedroom, you only had to ask." I leaned on the door mantle, trying my hardest to look like the cool, suave persona I was known for...I hope I was known for...am I a narcissist?

May looked around like she was making sure nobody else was in the hallway before she walked right into my room and shut the door. I turned around and tried to speak but she pinched my ear. Hard. "That was for the bedroom joke." She explained while I cried anime tears.

I regained my composure, "Sorry about that. Just trying to lighten the mood."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

I sighed, "Because I know why you're here."

She crossed her arms and gave me a look, "Then you know what I saw." I nodded and sat on my bed, massaging my temples. _This is not gonna end well._

I patted the spot next to me. "Do you want an explanation? It'll take a while." She nodded and sat down next to me. "I don't really know where to begin but I guess I'll just go out and say it." I looked her dead in the eyes. "I'm an Aura Guardian."

* * *

 _ **May's POV**_

"I'm an Aura Guardian." I just sat there with my mouth open. _An Aura Guardian? I thought that they were all gone! The only one I've even heard of was Sir Aaron!...Is he telling the truth? But then how did he do that?_

He continued, "I've been trained since I was around 11. I actually trained with Riolu." He gestured to the sleeping jackal in a pillowcase. "That's how Riolu learned Aura Sphere." He took a deep breath and smiled "Actually saving you was the first time I've used aura in a long time."

I smiled and slightly blushed. "Thank you for that." He flashed a thumps up. "So... what can you do?"

Jayden grinned a little bit; I could tell he was enjoying opening up, "I can increase my strength and speed to match a Pokemon. I can use Aura Sphere, which can be handy. I can even use some Pokemon moves."

"Wow...what about transferring aura?" I said, remembering what Ash told me about what happened in the Tree of Beginning. "Ooo, and time flowers?"

Jayden raised an eyebrow, "Yea I can do that too...how do you know about that stuff?" I told him about how Ash, Brock, Max and I had encountered Sir Aaron's Lucario and our adventure to save Pikachu. Jayden looked awestruck, "Wow! You actually met Sir Aaron's Lucario? That's incredible!"

I giggled, "Is there anything else can you do?"

Jayden nodded with a smile. If he wasn't enjoying talking to me about this before, he was definitely enjoying it now. "I can sense the aura of other living things, which let's me figure out their emotions and well-being. Even tell what kind of person they are."

I thought to myself, "So what kind of person am I?"

He looked into my eyes. After a few seconds he responded, "You're warm and kind. You can be shy but you're not afraid to show how you're feeling to people you trust. When you care about something, you're really passionate about it." He smiled as he said it, which I assumed meant I was a good person.

"Thanks Jayden. So what kind of person are you?" I asked slyly.

He just shrugged with a grin, "Someone who likes passionate people." I must've blushed like a Voltorb when he said that cuz he started laughing so hard he shut his eyes while he rolled around. Then he suddenly stopped and ran to the door so fast, I barely saw him. He threw it open, revealing one very surprised looking trainer.

"Ash?" I exclaimed, waking Pika and Riolu behind me, who quickly fell asleep again.

Ash sweatdropped, "Umm...hi?" Jayden didn't say anything but gestured for him to come inside before shutting the door behind him.

"What did you hear?" Jayden asked, putting his arms in his pockets.

Ash twiddled his thumbs, "I...I saw you disappear. Into that blue light thing. It was so amazing. And you saved everybody! I just had to know what was going on!" Ash's eyes were wide with passion, "And now I know; you're an Aura Guardian! Just like me!"

Jayden raised an eyebrow, "You're an Aura Guardian?" Jayden looked closely at Ash. "Doesn't really look like it." he said with an apologetic smile and a shrug.

Ash held up his fist, "But I've been able to use aura before! I helped save a Mew's life with my aura!"

Jayden's eyes widened, "You transferred your aura to someone else and survived? Did you have any training?"

Ash shook his head, "Just Sir Aaron's gloves."

Jayden rubbed the back of his head, "That's incredible." He looked directly at Ash, "But I can tell that you want something so what is it?" Even I could tell; Ash was constantly tapping his fingers on the edge of the bed and tapping his foot on the ground.

Ash looked right back at Jayden, "I want you to teach me how to use aura." My eyes widened. _Ash wants to learn how to use aura? But why?_

"W-what?" Jayden had a dumbfounded look on his face. "Really? You want me to teach you?"

Ash nodded, his eyes full of determination, "Before, I never thought it was worth it because I thought it would only take time away from becoming a Pokemon Master. But after I saw what you did today, how you were able to save all those people and Pokemon, I realized I want to do that too. I wanna be able to help others and if aura can help me do that, then I want in."

I was speechless. _Ash wants to do this to help others? He's always liked to help people but I never would've guessed..._

Jayden looked equally speechless. But then he burst into a huge grin, "Well if that's not a good reason, I don't know what is." He held out a fist, "Okay you got it. I'll train you."

Ash beamed and bumped his fist to Jayden's.

* * *

 **Well there you go! So many events happening! So many reveals! So many shitty pop culture references! Tune in next time to the next somewhat exciting and moderately entertaining chapter of "Aura is What Unites"! But before you leave, a quick Ending Author's Note (important stuff is underlined).**

 **First off, yes I will be borrowing some elements from the anime** **. I'll be doing that a lot with this story cuz I think the XY anime is probably the best one since Advanced Generation, mostly cuz Diamond and Pearl had wayyyyy too much filler [52 episodes between gym battles? WTF? (Leave a comment in your review on which two gym battles I'm referencing above and** **I'll leave your name in the opening note of the next chapter** **!)] and Black and White was kinda...ehh? Anyways,** **I'm gonna put my own spin on it, like you saw here and I'll have loads of original content!**

 **Please review** **because I love to know how you think the story is going. Just a simple 'good job' or a 'bad job' or a 'GFY' would do (preferably the first one :P ).**

 **Also if you have any OC's check out my profile page** **for my official OC form. If you have one, leave it in a review and I'll be happy to put them into my story.**

 **Also I wanna hear your predictions for the next chapter or the story in general!** **Why? Cuz I want to see where you guys think the story is going!**

 **Anyways, see ya and have a great rest of your day!**

 **Dododododododododo Review** **(Credit to Toby Turner and Blue is the New Red/Shiny Gengar for inspiration).**


	4. The Obligatory Appearance-Change Chapter

**Hello my faithful readers! And the other people who got lost on fanfiction and happened to stumble onto this shit. No matter how you got here, I'm happy that you're here!**

 **Check out the poll on my profile. I think you guys will like it, even if you just want a laugh.**

 **Anyways, here's a new chapter, and a disclaimer.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. I know; Big shocker that an American teenager doesn't own a multimillion dollar Japanese company started before he was born. But whatevs.**

 **Chapter 4: The Obligatory Appearance-Change Chapter**

* * *

Lumiose City, Kalos Region (Morning)

 _ **Ash's Perspective**_

 _Okay so let's go over what happened yesterday: We came to Kalos, I got lost, I got found, we met a new professor, we saw Team Rocket, I helped save Garchomp, I fell off a tower, I got saved from falling off a tower, and I found out that my new friend is an Aura Guardian and he agreed to teach me...pretty productive day._ I shook my head to clear my thoughts and continued with cleaning up the lab.

After an early wake-up, which wasn't fun considering I stayed up until 3 with Jayden and May on his bed ( **A.N. insert threesome joke here** ), we started helping Prof. Sycamore clean up some of the debris from Team Rocket's attack last night.

"Hey Ash!" Dawn called from the other side of the field. "Can you and your Pokemon help us with this log?" She pointed to a fallen tree that I noticed was cut into small pieces, probably with Croagunk's Brick Break. May and Brock had already started hauling pieces away.

After moving the log pieces into an outside truck, I ran into the small forest to see if any other trees fell over. I only found one and I could tell it was occupied. What do I mean by that? I mean Jayden was sleeping on it.

I snapped my fingers in front of his face. He sat up with a start, "Huh? What? Who-Oh...hey Ash." He said with his beanie covering his eyes.

I raised an eyebrow, "How did you know it was me if you can't se...Oh yea." I said, remembering who I was talking to. He stood up and stretched, arching his back with his hands held up.

After fixing his beanie, he said "So is the truck for the tree here yet? I already had Riolu burn off the leaves with Blaze Kick."

I sweatdropped, "It's been here for two hours."

Jayden's eyes widened as he checked his watch. "Oh shit." He dusted himself off, "Well no time to waste!" And without another word, he lifted the tree onto his shoulder and started walking.

I just stood there for a while. I looked at Pikachu whose mouth was hanging open. I ran after him. "Can you show me how to do that?"

He looked at me with an eyebrow raised, "Do what?" I gestured to the log, "Umm...maybe when we actually start training. This actually takes a lot of energy."

I could see that; even though it was kinda cold inside the field, Jayden was sweating pretty bad. We reached the end of the forest where he put an arm in front of me and put a finger to his mouth. He then pointed to the door from the lab to the field where I could make out Dawn and May talking.

I whispered, "What?"

"Can't let them see me lifting the tree." He set it down on the ground as carefully as a teenager can set down a full grown tree.

I raised an eyebrow, "Why not? May already knows. And it's not like Dawn's gonna freak out."

Jayden grinned, "You don't think seeing me walk out of a forest carrying a big ass tree on my shoulder without any prior explanation is gonna freak her out?" I opened my mouth to speak before closing it. He laughed, "If you really think she'll be okay, I'll tell her later. Brock too." He then grabbed a pokeball from his belt and threw it into the air.

Grovyle appeared in a flash of light. 'Grovyle!' he cried.

"Grovyle, use Leaf Blade to slice up this tree trunk. Grovyle stuck his hand out like he was expecting something. Jayden sighed and threw something from his pocket. Grovyle caught it in his mouth and immediately got to work. "Grovyle loves candy so I always have to keep some on me in case." He explained to me. Soon enough, the tree was chopped up into nice, manageable pieces.

After we finished loading up the trunk and sent the truck on its way, we went back to Prof. Sycamore who was taking care of Garchomp.

"Hey Prof. Sycamore! We're all done!" I called as we approached him.

He smiled, "Awesome! Thanks for all our help guys!"

Dawn approached Garchomp and stroked her head, "Are you okay Garchomp?"

'Gar Garchomp.' Garchomp nodded.

"You know, you guys ought to go out and explore Lumiose City for a little bit." Prof. Sycamore said. He also looked at all of us carefully, "Maybe you'd want to pick up some new clothes." he said laughing slightly.

I looked down at myself and at everyone else; we all had a few rips and tears from yesterday's events. Especially Jayden and I from our adventures on Prism Tower. "Maybe getting some new clothes would be a good idea." Dawn and May squealed in excitement. Then I had a light bulb. "Hey maybe we can go to the gym while we're at it!"

Prof. Sycamore laughed nervously, "Sorry Ash but the gym's actually closed." I did a double-take. "The tower had some pretty hefty damage after yesterday so they shut the gym down to do repairs." By now, I was in a corner with a rain cloud hanging over me. I saw Jayden mutter something under his breath; it looked like one of those words my mom used to hit me for saying. "But a new trainer will be here around 3 if you would like to see that." I nodded, wiping the tears off my face.

* * *

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

 _Well this isn't emasculating at all._ Ash, Brock and I were reduced to Dawn and May's shopping posse, going in and out of the most feminine, dainty and frilly stores in Kalos.

Brock panted, "Girls, please; Let us rest for just a minute." Ash and I nodded in support of that statement. Dawn and May stopped in their tracks. They turned around slowly. And we saw the faces of hell.

In ancient times, people often spoke of these faces, saying that if ever seen, one would die a most unholy, painful and unenviable death. Only to be resurrected and killed again. And again. And again. And again until you were nothing more than a slimy shell of a man. And then, they would subject you to the worst pain of all: having to listen to the Diamond and Pearl rap on loop...forever.

I shuddered in fear before continuing on with my bravest face, ignoring the small mouse on my shoulder snickering at my pain.

This time Ash spoke up, "Why don't we go to a store where all of you guys can get stuff?"

Brock turned to Ash, "Aren't you going to get anything?"

Ash shook his head, "Nope! My mom gave me a brand new set of clothes before we left."

"Lucky bastard doesn't even have to be here." I muttered under my breath.

May and Dawn were still contemplating Ash's suggestion before shrugging, which I only assumed meant yes.

We entered a large shop off of Vernal Avenue. Almost immediately, a lady dressed in black walked up to us, "Bonjour and welcome to Le Boutique Couture. May I ask your credentials?"

"Credentials?" May asked.

The lady threw her head back. _She's a little sassy,_ I thought. "Le Boutique Couture only serves those with high status and taste. So I'll ask again, what are your credentials?" She got dangerously close to all of our faces, causing us to sweatdrop.

"Umm...I once got Top 4 in the Sinnoh League!" Ash chimed in.

"I was the runner up in the Hoenn Grand Festival!" Dawn added.

"I was runner up in the Johto Grand Festival." May said.

"And I'm the former Pewter City Gym Leader." Brock said.

The lady just threw her head back laughing. "That's it? That wouldn't be good enough for a thrift shop." Everyone looked insulted and a little sad.

 _This bitch right here..._ "I'm a Frontier Brain!" I yelled, causing everyone in the store to look at me.

The lady paled, "Y-you are a Frontier Brain?" I nodded. She rubbed the back of her head before immediately bowing, "I am so sorry for my behavior. Please forgive me."

I just smirked and high-fived everybody. _Looks like I might enjoy this shopping trip after all._

And I did. We all did. The entire time we were looking around, the staff kept offering us snacks and fancy water in glass bottles. "What the hell is sparkling water?" I asked Pika. He shrugged so

I tried a bit before it spraying it all over the carpet. "It's a crime against humanity!" Pika asked for some so I offered the bottle. He sniffed it before slapping it out of my hands onto a rack of clothes. I sucked air in through my teeth nervously and walked away with my hands in my pockets. _Totally inconspicuous._

After joining Ash and Brock on the seats outside the fitting room, May and Dawn walked out.

"What do you guys think?" May asked with a wink. It took every fiber of my being to not shout 'DAMMMMMMN!' as loud as I could. _But DAMMMMMMN._

May was wearing a blue bandana with a white pokeball symbol on top. She had a top on that was almost identical to her old orange one, only it was blue with white stripes and it was slightly longer, ending at her mid-thigh. She had on black bike shorts that were barely longer than her shirt and blue sneakers. Did I not mention she had a really nice figure? Cuz she had a REALLY nice figure.

Dawn on the other hand was wearing...the exact same outfit? _What?_

"Dawn, aren't those the same clothes you were wearing earlier?"

She winked, "Yup! I think it's perfect. Plus it's so cute!"

I shrugged in agreement. _Hard to argue with a mini-skirt on a hot girl._ I looked at my two compatriots...who were completely uninterested. Brock was checking out the cashier, who was a good three years older than him or more, and Ash was playing with Pikachu. _Are you guys serious? What is wrong with these people?_

Ash stood up, "So is it time to go yet?"

May and Dawn shook their heads, devious smiles appearing on their faces. _Oh, I am not going to like this._ Without saying anything, Dawn grabbed Brock and May grabbed me. They led us both to the Men's Section and threw what must've been a million different objects in our faces.

"Now go try them on!" they both commanded and we both ran to the fitting rooms without a word. _Stupid freaking...wonderful people who I love so much._ I changed my mind after evaluating what they handed me.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I had a pair of tan khakis that were a little slim fitting but whatever, a pretty kickass pair of blue high-top sneakers with a white pokeball on the outside ankle, a white v-neck with a red pokeball on the chest and a simple faded-green cardigan that I decided to leave unbuttoned. _Not bad May. Not bad at all._

After walking out, I surveyed Brock...who was wearing the exact same thing: a green colored polo, a orange and brown vest and khakis. I turned to Dawn. She just smiled, "I think it's perfect. Plus it's so cute!" I sweatdropped. _She has a problem, doesn't she?_

After we went to the checking counter, I spotted a one-strap teal backpack with a white half-pokeball symbol on the top right corner. I looked at Pika. 'Pika Kachupi!' I smiled and grabbed it. After paying way too much money for what is essentially fabric tied with string, Brock, Ash and I walked out.

Ash turned around, "Hey where's Dawn and May?"

As if on cue, one of them shrieked, "Swimsuits on sale?!" We sweatdropped. _Wait...are they gonna try them on? Maybe I should stay here._ As if he read my mind, Pika gave me a light zap.

"While we're out, I think I'll go stock up on food supplies." Brock said. Ash began to follow him, saliva freely flowing from his open mouth.

I grabbed Ash's collar. "We'll catch up to you later Brock." Brock looked at us with a puzzled look but eventually just shrugged and walked off. Ash turned to me with a peeved look so I explained, "I saw a sports shop not too far off from here. If I'm gonna teach you, we need to get the right gear."

Ash grinned, "All right!" I heard Pikachu mutter something I swear sounded like ketchup.

After a couple minutes of walking, we reached a warehouse-esque building with a large football over the entrance. I walked in and gagged at the overpowering stench of sneaker balls. _Well...least our stuff won't smell bad._ I grabbed a few packs to be safe.

"So what do we need?" Ash asked me. I handed him a list I wrote down while we were waiting at the Boutique. "Soccer pants, athletic shirts, open palm gloves...what is all this stuff?"

"The tools of the trade."

Ash thought for a second, "But what about the whole dodging logs swinging at you and meditating on a cliff stuff?"

I looked at him quizzically, "You want to dodge giant logs? Giant. Logs." He thought for another second before running off with the list in hand. I laughed to myself. _Least he has some degree of common sense._

After buying the stuff on my list, Ash and I went back to the lab and dropped the stuff we bought off to our rooms. When we came back to the lobby, we found Prof. Sycamore's assistant Sophie ushering three Pokemon into a hallway.

One was a yellow fox, then a blue frog and finally a green chipmunk. "Wow! What're those Pokemon?" Ash asked.

Sophie responded, "This is Fennekin, Froakie and Chespin. These are the Kalos starter Pokemon. Right now, a new trainer's arrived so we have to prepare them for her."

Ash grinned and crouched down, "Hi there! My name's Ash and this is Pikachu." Pikachu waved hello. "This Fennekin's so cute! And Froakie looks really strong! But Chespin looks like he's cute and strong!" All the Pokemon responded nicely to Ash's words, although Froakie walked up to Ash, who started playing with him.

I crouched down, "Hi you guys. How're you?" I asked while rubbing Fennekin and Chespin's heads. Fennekin purred in response while Chespin tried to playfully bite at my fingers. "Woah! I already have one gluttonous grass-type." As if on cue, I felt Grovyle's pokeball shake slightly.

"Hey guys. Did you enjoy you're little excursion?" Brock asked as he walked in.

"Yea, it was kinda fu-" Ash tried to finish but then Brock seized Sophie's hand.

"My dear Sophie, your beauty knows no bounds! Please, why don't we spend the rest of our days in everlasting PAIN AND SUFFERING!" Brock cried as Croagunk jabbed him mid-monologue. Then he dragged the unconscious doctor ( _there is no way he's a real doctor_ ) away while we all sweatdropped. Croagunk walked past May and Dawn, who sighed knowingly.

"Was it Sophie?" Dawn asked to which I nodded. She sighed again.

"-and this is the lobby of the lab, Serena. Here's where you'll pick your first Pokemon!" Prof. Sycamore walked in with a young girl, around our age, in tow. She was a little shorter than May but taller than Dawn and had a pink hat, a black sleeveless top and red miniskirt with...with...

 _Thigh-high socks? My god..._ Pika zapped me again. I turned to him, "What? I'm allowed to enjoy life!" Pika just zapped me again in response.

"Sophie, please bring the Pokemon." Prof. Sycamore called. Sophie walked out with Fennekin and Chespin, but Ash had to walk out with Froakie, who decided to sit on Ash's shoulder opposite of Pikachu.

Prof. Sycamore laughed slightly at the sight but Serena looked intrigued, "Hey, it's Ash!" she exclaimed. _Dammit Ash! You get May and Dawn and now her? I f*ckin' hate you!_

Ash looked taken aback, "I don't think so." _Yes; score!_ He took a closer look, "Actually, you do look kind of familiar." _MOTHERF*CKER!_ He shook his head, "Sorry, I just don't remember!" _I'm probably about to die right now!_

"Jayden, are you okay? You're face is all red." May asked me. I forced a smile and nodded.

Serena looked a little disappointed and walked up to Ash, "Remember Prof. Oak's Summer Camp? You helped me when I hurt myself in the forest?" She proceeded to say some long story that I really didn't care about cuz I was still trying to wrap my head around how Ash was a total pimp. Then Serena pulled some blue handkerchief out of her pocket, "I always carry around this handkerchief as a good luck charm." _OH MY GOD! It's so obvious you like him! WHY? Why do you like him? My god, Ash has it so easy!_

Ash just swiped the rag straight out of her hand, "Wow thanks for holding onto this for me!" I sweatdropped. _What the...why did...ugh, he really has no idea what she's implying...does he?_ "And I do remember now! You were the girl in the straw hat!" Serena nodded with a smile.

Prof. Sycamore butted in, "I hate to break up this lovely reunion," I would like to state that I was personally thrilled, "but Serena, would you like to choose your Pokemon?"

"Sure!" Serena walked over and carefully analyzed all three of them, including Froakie who was still on Ash's shoulder. "But I already made my decision a while ago." _Then why the hell did you need to look at all of them?_ "I choose Fennekin!"

The fire fox ( **A.N. holy f*cking shit** ) jumped into Serena's arms and started to nuzzle her chest. _Dammit! Why can't I be a cute Pokemon?...holy shit...what is wrong with me?_

Prof. Sycamore smiled, "Alright then! Here's Fennekin's pokeball, plus 5 extras." He said as he handed the spheres over. "Plus a Kalos Pokedex. I have one for all of you as well." He added, looking at the four of us. Prof. Sycamore handed everybody a thin, red metal square with textured rubber on the back. "Well that's all I have for you Serena! If you'd like to register for the Kalos League, you can do that at the Pokemon Center outside."

Ash and I sucked our breath in through our teeth, "Uh oh." We both said before racing out the door.

* * *

 **Dawn's POV**

 _Well this is unfortunate_. Ash had convinced Serena to come with us on our journey, which would've been fine except for the teeny-tiny problem that Serena liked Ash. It was so obvious, a Zubat could see it. And the fact that they had history made matters worse.

 _I could do something...prank her...tease her...torture her to no end! I could make her life a living hell! And then once she's broken, then Ash will be mine! All mine!...excursion that got dark. It was a little too fierce. Fiercer than a Legendary, I'd say_ (The Shiny Gengar sneezed in his chair). _I think I'll just play it cool. excursion, she may have met Ash first, but we have way more history than she does!_

Right now we were at the Pokemon Center cafeteria getting dinner while Ash and Jayden got registered for the Kalos League and Brock went to flirt with Nurse Joy. I turned to Serena, "So why don't you get registered for the Kalos League?" I asked.

She giggled nervously, "Well I actually don't know what I want to do. I just want to travel around for a while."

May nodded, "I used to be the same way. But you'll find something you want to do. Everyone does." She gave Serena a reassuring smile. _Gosh, May is so nice!_ Even after all this time, she was still my idol.

Serena blushed slightly, "Thanks May! What did you end up deciding to do?"

"I became a coordinator! Although I'm still not that great at it." She laughed sheepishly, "But Dawn's really good! She was a runner up in her first Grand Festival!"

Serena turned to me, "Wow really? That's amazing!" I blushed and smiled. _Too bad that's not going to happen again._

At that point, Ash, Jayden and a Brock-laden Croagunk walked into the line. But there was something very, very interesting about them. One in particular. One who changed into a sleeveless shirt. It was Jayden. He was sleeveless. And it was glorious.

I looked at my companions; they were all looking at him. _Ha. Perverts._ I then took out a pair of binoculars and focused in. I never said I wasn't a hypocrite.

Jayden turned and saw us, making all of us blush like mad and look away. But he just smiled and winked ever so slyly and continued on the buffet line. Of course that just made us even more flustered.

"Ummm...is there any chance that Jayden and Ash could have a child together?" Serena asked before looking right at us, completely red, "Did I just say that out loud?" May and I nodded before all three of us started laughing, the awkward tension from before broken.

Croagunk placed Brock into a chair before tapping his pokeball and recalling himself. _Huh. Didn't know he could do that._ Jayden and Ash sat down with huge trays full of food. Ash seemed to have a bit of everything while Jayden had...four bowls of ramen. One was full of candy, one had a bunch of different meats, one had curly fries and the last one looked like all of the above.

Jayden looked at us before explaining, "Grovyle likes candy, Riolu likes meat and Pikachu likes fries." He spoke nonchalantly, as if all of that was the most normal thing in the world.

Serena pointed to the fourth bowl, "Then what's that?"

Jayden looked at her like she missed something, "It's mine." When he saw our facial expressions (important to note that Ash was knee deep in his food tray at that point), he added, "I happen to like my ramen with lots of toppings...want some?" He offered us the bowl, to which we politely declined with a sweatdrop. Jayden shrugged and handed the bowls to his aforementioned Pokemon, who went to town on the ramen in a way I can only describe as sensual.

After assaulting our eyes with that display, Jayden said, "So what's the plan? Since neither Ash or I can challenge the gym yet, I think we should head to Santalune City so Ash can beat the gym there. Plus, Nurse Joy says that there's a contest in Aquacorde Town in a little while and that's only a few days from from Santalune City."

Everybody smiled and nodded in agreement to the plan. "Awesome! Our first contest in Kalos! Are you ready Dawn?" She asked me with a determined smile.

"Yeah!" I pumped my fist but felt my heart get heavy. _I don't wanna disappoint them...but how do I tell everyone? And what would Ash think?_

"And I'll get my first gym badge! I'm so excited, I can hardly wait! What about you, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

'Pika pika!' Pikachu grinned confidently as sparks flew from his cheeks.

"Alright then! We'll head out tomorrow!" Ash exclaimed as he ran out of the Pokemon Center to Sycamore's Lab where we were all staying.

Jayden sweatdropped, "He forgot to pay for his food, didn't he." Everyone sighed and pulled out their wallets.

* * *

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

"Okay, I think I'll start with a clean slate." I said as I returned three pokeballs to the Transporter in Sycamore's Lab. _Riolu will come in handy with Ash's training, I always keep Grovyle and Pika can't go anywhere since he doesn't have a pokeball. But Clawitzer and the others can go back home since I don't need to convince Ash about going to the Pokemon Center anymore._ I pressed the button and the pokeballs vanished in a flash.

I walked outside the lab and stretched. _New clothes, new friends and a new journey-okay well maybe its the same journey as the last time..._

After waving goodbye to Prof. Sycamore, we left Lumiose City and for Route 4.

"Everybody ready?" Ash asked as we approached the spot where the city bricks gave way to a dirt path. We all nodded in anticipation. "Well here we go! This is gonna be big!" He whispered that last part. We all stepped onto the dirt path and waited for a second. And for another second. And another.

I sweatdropped, "That was anticlimactic." Then I remembered my promise to Ash. _Well I suppose that would add a little drama._ "Hey everyone, since we've officially started our journey, I think I should tell you that I'm an Aura Guardian." Everyone did a double-take, raising a massive cloud of dust. _Well what do you know? Ash was right; that was big._

* * *

 **Yay! Fourth chapter in 5 days! Quick updates, hilarious dialogue, stupid transitions! What more do you want in life you selfish bastards?**

 **Remember to vote in the poll on my profile page. It's about shippings in the story, which a fair amount (2) of you asked about.**

 **Like the chapter, imma keep the AN short cuz I'm tired today. Peace!**


	5. Aura 101

**Hey everybody! Nothing new to say really...**

 **Send in your** **OCs!**

 **Review!** **Review! Review!**

 **Vote in the poll on my profile!**

 **Anyways, enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. I seriously don't know why I need to put this before every chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Aura 101**

Route 4, Kalos Region (Morning)

 _ **Ash's Perspective**_

So there we were. Six friends sitting awkwardly around a folding table; Jay, May and I on one side and Brock, Dawn and Serena on the other.

Dawn broke the silence, "Soooo...this is been an eventful trip so far." Brock tried to cut her off but she just continued; she seemed a little agitated, "No really! First, we all nearly die from a crazy Garchomp. Then you three nearly die from a crazy Garchomp on a tower," she said while pointing at us, "then Ash reconnects with his long-lost childhood girlfriend," Serena and I both blushed a little at that comment, "and now we find out that one of our new friends has super powers and wants to induct Ash into some magic cult!" At this point, Dawn was standing up with her blue hair waving behind her like flames.

May, Jayden and I sweatdropped. May was the only one brave enough to respond, "Come on Dawn. It's not like that at all!"

I chimed in, "Yea! Plus, I asked Jayden to train me. It's not his fau-" I immediately shut up when I saw Dawn's glare. _Wow. She could give a Haunter a run for its money._

Dawn huffed and stormed off to another bench. Brock laughed nervously, "Don't worry Jayden. She's just trying to wrap her head around the whole 'aura' thing. Once she gets some time, I'm sure everything will go back to normal."

Jayden nodded with a small smile, although I could tell he was a little upset at how Dawn reacted.

Serena seemed to sense this and tried to brighten the mood, "Hey, since its already that time, why don't we start lunch. I can make some delicious macarons!"

Brock nodded, "And I can make some sandwiches." Jayden immediately perked up at the sound of food and grinned.

He turned to me, "Hey Ash, while they do that, why don't you and I start our training?"

My expression was puzzled, "Aren't you worried about being seen?" Even though we were in a small clearing in the middle of the forest, I was still a little cautious.

Jayden just waved his hand, "Nah. We won't be doing anything out of the ordinary today." I nodded, but I raised an eyebrow at that statement. "Now let's get into our training gear!"

I really didn't like the training gear. It was just a pair of tight athletic pants, a sleeveless white shirt and worst of all: no hat! "Hey, why do you get to wear your hat, but I can't wear mine?" I protested when I saw his beanie.

He shrugged, "I'm the teacher. I make the rules." I frowned but conceded. "Now, we're gonna start with some physical training."

I nodded, my eyes full of anticipation, "I'm ready! Bring it on!" _Oh man! This is gonna be so cool! I wonder what we'll do first? Log lifts? Maybe he'll teach me to run up a wall. OH! Maybe he'll teach me to jump really high!_

Jayden cleared his throat, "Okay, so first, I wanna measure your abilities. So do as many pushups as possible." He gestured to a small, grassy area next to him. "Start whenever you're ready."

I hesitated, "That's it? No special moves?" Jayden nodded. "Well this isn't that exciting." I grumbled as I got into pushup position. "Okay, one. Two. Three. Four." I counted off the pushups as I did them.

After a while, I started to feel tired, my arms shaking and sweat pouring down my face. I looked over at Jayden; he was watching me intently, studying my every move. _I can't give up yet! I have to push myself even harder!_ With renewed vigor, I went even faster.

But after a few minutes of that, I felt even more exhausted than before. "Ninety eight...ninet-nineeeee!" I desperately summoned the strength for just one more. I bent my elbows and sank towards the ground. _Just push up now! So close!_ "One hundre-" But before I could push myself up all the way, my arms gave out and I fell.

I started gasping, the wind knocked completely out of me. Jayden walked over, "Tsk tsk. That's pitiful." I tried to scratch at him but my arms wouldn't move. He started to laugh and offered me a hand. After he pulled me up, I caught my breath and groaned, my arms starting to ache.

"Ugh, I thought I was good at training." I griped, rubbing my shoulders.

Jayden chuckled, "Sorry to disappoint Ash but you're good at training Pokemon. Training yourself is an entirely different story." He gestured for me to follow, "Come on. Let's go for a quick jog."

I jogged after him slowly at first, but then started to speed up once I saw he was quickening his stride. "Hey! I thought you said this was a jog!" I cried after him, the gap between us rapidly expanding.

He turned around and continued to jog backwards, "What're you talking about? We're still just walking."

My eyes widened and I angrily yelled, "This isn't walking!"

"Fine, then we're walking briskly." I heard him laugh under his breath. I started to think about using those words my mom told me not to say.

After what must've been forever, we came to a stop on the foot of a 30 ft. tall cliff. I collapsed, "Ughhh...Jayden...I don't like aura training."

Jayden crouched down and looked me in the eyes, "This isn't aura training. We're just exercising." I groaned. _This is gonna be harder than I thought._

I got to my feet and took a few deep breaths, "Okay. I'm ready to go." I pumped my fist. _I can do this! I can do anything if I set my mind to it._

Jayden grinned and pointed to the cliff foot and then to the edge all the way up. I looked at him and then at the edge. I pointed to the edge with a curious look on my face. Jayden nodded. I sighed and started to climb.

"Hah! This is nothing! I'm a great climber!" I shouted after I climbed to what must've been halfway.

I heard Jayden sweatdrop, "Ash...you've been standing there for five minutes just making climbing motions."

I stopped moving and looked down at my still grounded feet, "Oh...well here goes nothing!" I lifted an exhausted leg up and planted it firmly on a rock. I pulled myself up and did the same thing with the other leg.

I continued this motion for several minutes-I know this because Jayden would call out to me every thirty seconds-until I finally reached the cliff edge. I firmly grasped it in my hand and yelled as I pulled myself up and over.

I flipped onto my back and panted, completely depleted. "You know, that was actually impressive. I've never seen anybody move that slowly in my life." I opened my eyes, blinking out the sweat to see Jayden sitting next to me, totally dry and relaxed. I looked at the drop below at back at him.

"How did you-" He silenced me by leaping over me and grabbing the cliff edge. With unrealistic speed, he climbed down, waved, and climbed back up. I felt the saliva leave my gaping jaw. "...can you carry me down?"

Jayden laughed, "I could...but I won't." With that, he jumped back down. I heard him call up, "Try to climb down. It's a lot easier than going up.

I groaned and got onto my hands and knees. I placed my hands on the edge of the cliff and readied myself to climb down...but then I ran into a problem, "How do I get into the right position?" I couldn't get find proper foothold while going hands-first. And I had no idea how to climb down feet-first.

Jayden snickered, "Figure it out! I'll catch you if you drop."

I grumbled and after some effort and a lot of close calls, I got into the right position and started to climb down. "Haha! I did it! I'm amazi-" My foot slipped off the rock before I could finish my sentence; I started to freefall. "Ahhhh!" I screamed, "Jayden!" But he never caught me and I hit to ground with a thud. I groaned, "Y-you said you would..."

Jayden crouched down and grinned, "If you dropped. That was more like falling with style."

I frowned, "Did...did you just reference..." I blacked out before I finished.

* * *

 _ **May's POV**_

"Hey Dawn!" I called as the bluenette walked back to our little campsite. She looked significantly more calm and even a little apologetic.

"Hi guys. Um...sorry for storming off like that. I guess I was a little surprised." She laughed nervously while rubbing the back of her head.

Brock wiped his hands off on his apron and patted Dawn on the back, "Don't worry. We were all shocked. All that matters is that we support Ash and Jayden." Dawn smiled and nodded.

Serena walked up to us and said in a singsong voice, "Macarons are out of the oven!"

Dawn and I had hearts in our eyes at the sight of the cookies. There were dozens of them in dozens of colors, and all were piping hot. We reached for them but Serena pulled away, "Wait for them to cool down!" Dawn and I started to cry anime tears. _How dare she deprive me of food? Now I'm going to starve!_ I must've forgotten about the ten plates of pancakes I had for breakfast. Oops.

"Hey guys!" I heard Jayden call us as he came back from training Ash.

"Jayden! I need to tell you something." Dawn said as she ran over to him, probably to apologize, "I wanna say sorry for what I said earlier. ( _I am too good at guessing_ ) It wasn't right for me to...What's Ash doing?" Dawn pointed at Jayden's back. I could see Ash's head resting on Jayden's shoulder.

 _Uh oh. This is not gonna be good._

Jayden laughed sheepishly, "You see Dawn...he was climbing a cliff and he fell so I...let him fall." He said the last few words as if he just realized what he had done. He frantically lay Ash on the ground and checked his pulse before sighing in relief, "Okay. Phew. He's not dead." He turned back to Dawn, who was fuming slightly.

 _Uh oh. She's not happy._

Jayden smiled, "Now then, what were you say-"

Jayden spun around in a circle as Dawn smacked him. The crack was so loud, the trees around us shook. It was so loud, Ash woke up and immediately fainted again when he saw Dawn's facial expression. It was so loud, Helen Keller called her local congressman and started a petition to eradicate slapping noises. ( **A.N. I am so sorry. That was terrible. I will never make a joke ever again** )

Brock, Serena and I sweatdropped. _I guess she REALLY likes Ash._ Brock then whispered, "It's super effective." ( **A.N. I lied.** )

After Brock checked Jayden for a concussion and managed to stir Ash with the smell of food, we all sat down at the table for lunch. The entire time, Jayden was wide-eyeing Dawn with a look of pure fear and terror. Dawn on the other hand, was enjoying her sandwich with a wide smile.

Brock was the first to break the silence, "So how was training?"

Ash just groaned as Pikachu massaged his head, "So much pain...so little energy." He was resting his cheek on the table but seemed unable to even lift himself up.

Jayden stopped staring at Dawn (in terror) and responded to Brock's question, "It was productive! I know exactly where to start with Ash." He patted Ash's back, causing the raven-haired trainer to groan, "Don't worry buddy! By tomorrow, you'll be good as new! I'll even heal you, if you want!"

Ash groaned, although it sounded more like a scream of terror than anything else. Jayden sweatdropped, "Fine, I'll have Riolu do it." Ash grunted, seemingly content with that choice.

Serena turned to Jayden, "What exactly did you guys do?"

Jayden swallowed the sandwich he was eating in one ridiculous gulp, "We did some pushups, some brisk walking-" Ash started screaming through the sandwiches Pikachu kept stuffing in his mouth, "- and some cliff climbing." Jayden tensed up at the last statement, eyeing Dawn carefully. But the coordinator was still munching on her sandwich.

I laughed nervously before eyeing Jayden. _They were gone for over an hour but he doesn't look tired at all! He looks perfectly fine even after carrying Ash for so long. Although I guess it wouldn't be too bad with arms like those...and those back musc- why do I keep doing this?!_ I shook my head clear of thought before I noticed Jayden's forearm. I inspected his cheek as well.

"Umm...hello there." Jayden said. I realized that I was almost touching his cheek. I pulled away with a red face, earning a small laugh from Jayden and Brock.

I frowned before remembering what I was looking at, "Hey Jayden, didn't Garchomp get your arm and cheek?" Jayden touched his cheek and looked at his arm before shrugging.

Brock rubbed his chin, "Yea she did. But you're not even wearing your bandages anymore. And since I didn't see them I must've forgot about changing them." This time Brock got too close to Jayden, carefully inspecting every centimeter of skin.

Jayden pulled away in discomfort, "Woah. No homo bro."

* * *

 **Trainer Jayden would like to take this moment to state that he hasn't, doesn't and never will discriminate against members of the homosexual, bisexual, transsexual, or queer communities. He would like to apologize to all persons offended by this joke.**

 **However, he would also like to say that he will not stop at that joke and there will be plenty of jokes such as this in the future. So deal with it.**

 **.**

 **..**

 **...**

 **bitch**

* * *

Brock pulled away, still deep in thought, "Even though I never treated it again, your wounds are completely healed. Not even a scar."

Jayden shrugged again, "It's just aura. If you can focus it properly, it can speed up healing, almost like regeneration."

Ash, who by now had eaten half of the sandwiches and regained his strength, commented, "Can I do that?" Jayden nodded. Ash's eyes widened and he grinned, "Cool!"

"But how long will it take to learn?" Dawn asked, seemingly on speaking terms with Jayden again.

"Umm...it depends. I mean, you're healing will naturally speed up the more you practice. As for consciously healing yourself and others...well that depends on the person." Jayden responded before adding, "Although, you said you could transfer aura already so I'd say a few months or so."

Ash fell anime style, "But that's so long! Can't we speed it up?"

Jayden shook his head, "Nope. If we rush it, you could lose control of your aura and completely drain yourself. And I don't need to tell you what that means." Jayden dragged a finger across his throat to highlight what he meant.

Ash gulped before frowning again, ignoring the food Pikachu kept trying to force into his mouth.

Jayden saw this and smiled, "How about I show you some things you'll be able to do once you're trained a bit more?" Ash's face brightened up and he nodded.

I perked up, "Oh this should be cool."

"I'd like to see that." Brock said as he stood up.

"Me too." said Serena.

"Me three." said Dawn.

We all stood in front of Jayden, who was breathing deeply.

He closed his eyes and unfolded his beanie so it obscured the top of his head, "Okay. This is Aura Sense. I can see anything and everything for a mile around." To prove his point, he gestured for us to come at him. Ash was the first to go, giving his best right cross to Jayden's face. Well...where Jayden's face used to be; he moved out of the way well before Ash had even extended his arm.

"Tsk tsk. Too slow Ash." Jayden taunted, his eyes still obscured by his hat. Ash tried a few more punches, but to no avail. "Alright, I'm bored." To prove his point, Jayden caught Ash's punch and threw him back a few feet.

Jayden then pointed to Pikachu, Pika and Glaceon and invited them. Pika didn't even hesitate, although he had to convince Pikachu and Glaceon that it was okay. But once it was on, it was on with caps lock...so IT WAS ON...now that just looks silly.

'Pika!' Pikachu cried as he tried an Iron Tail. Jayden ducked just in time, only for Pika's Iron Tail to nearly decapitate him. But when he crouched, Glaceon's Iron Tail swept him from under.

Brock and Ash snickered. "Do you think he's okay?" Serena asked with a worried look.

Before we could answer, Jayden quickly did a kip-up and gestured for the Pokemon to come at him again.

I turned to Serena, "Does that answer your question?"

'Gla glaceon!' Glaceon cried as she dug under ground.

Jayden smirked, "Come on Glaceon, you have to do better than that."

I smiled slyly, "Glaceon, use Ice Beam when you come out. Pikachu, use Quick Attack and Pika, use Electro Ball."

Jayden turned to me with a look of pure betrayal, "You little m-" He cut himself short to jump out of Electro Ball's way. But he quickly jumped again as the ground under him started to freeze. He touched ground for the third time, but quickly sidestepped as Glaceon burst out of the ground. Finally, Pikachu got Jayden square in the chest, leaving him only enough time to form an X with his arms to protect himself. Jayden skid back a few feet before Pikachu jumped back.

The trio of Pokemon assembled on one side of the clearing, congratulated each other on a job well done and smirked at Jayden. But then he laughed and clapped, folding his beanie up again. "Good job you guys. If I didn't end it there, you probably would've beaten me."

I sweatdropped. _They were beating him anyways._

Jayden gave a little bow, earning a light applause. "So when can I do that?" Ash asked, approaching his teacher. Jayden smirked and whispered in Ash's ear. "Arceus dang it!"

I sweatdropped. _Is Trainer Jayden really gonna make us substitute Arceus for God?_ ( **A.N. Maybe. Maybe not. Still thinking about it.** )

Jayden brushed himself off, "Okay, so the next thing I wanna do is...Hey Froakie!" He called to the trees surrounding the clearing.

We all looked in that direction. Brock cleared his throat, "Umm. There's nothing there Jayden."

Dawn whispered to me, "10 bucks says there's no Froakie there."

"Deal." I whispered back.

Then a small blue frog leaped out of a tree. 'Froak' it said once it landed.

Dawn and I gaped at it before she handed me a fresh bill.

Serena walked up to it and bent down, "Hey Froakie, you look really familiar. Have we met?"

Brock answered, "Maybe he's Prof. Sycamore's Froakie."

Serena's eyes widened, "Is that true? Are you Prof. Sycamore's?" Froakie nodded before jumping over to Ash. 'Froakie!'

Ash looked at Froakie before smiling, "Froakie, did you follow us here?"

'Froak!' Froakie nodded.

Ash grinned, "Does this mean you want to come with us?" Froakie nodded again. "Well alright then! Go pokeball!" Ash threw a pokeball at Froakie...only for it to bounce off. "Huh? Why didn't it work?"

"If it's Prof. Sycamore's Froakie, then he probably has Froakie's pokeball." I said, feeling intelligent for my detective work.

'Froakie froak.' Froakie said as he pulled a pokeball out of the bubbles on his neck. I facepalmed while Dawn patted my back. _Dammit._

Ash grabbed the pokeball and pressed the central button, recalling Froakie in a red beam, "All right! I caught a Froakie!" He exclaimed, doing his signature pose while Pikachu jumped into the air.

Jayden sweatdropped, "Does he always do that?" I nodded. Jayden frowned, "Also, he didn't technically catch Froakie." I shrugged. Jayden facepalmed, "I don't understand how his brain works."

Ash threw Froakie's pokeball into the air, releasing the water-type Pokemon. "All right Froakie, let's see what the Pokedex says about you." Ash pulled out his Pokedex and scanned Froakie.

"Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokemon. Froakie is known for its impressive jumping ability. It can use the frubbles on its neck as an attack or a diversion." the Pokedex said before Ash returned it to his pocket.

"All right Froakie, let's do some training!" Then Ash looked like he remembered something. "Hey Jayden, can we train later?" I looked next to me, but was surprised to see that Jayden had left. I turned around to see Serena stuffing Jayden's mouth...wait that sounds dirty.

She was giving him macarons, grinning as the trainer happily devoured cookie after cookie. He looked at us with his mouth full, "Wha?" He looked at Ash, "Ohhhh. Oo ca gof." Ash must've taken that to mean 'you can go' and took off with Pikachu and Froakie in tow.

* * *

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

After I finished stuffing myself with Serena's baked goods-wait a minute...nah- I decided to take a nap. But that didn't last long; I woke up with a start, a loud explosion ringing in my ears. "Whas happening?" I muttered groggily.

I saw May, Dawn, Serena and Brock running off towards a cloud of smoke. Groaning, I stood up and chased after them. We stopped at a small clearing where a large...robot? _What the hell?_

My eyes did not lie; there really was a giant robot in front of me. It was a Meowth shaped machine, with tank rollers for legs and small clear capsules for hands. In one capsule, I saw Pikachu and Froakie trapped inside.

"Who are you?" I heard Ash cry. I closed my eyes before facepalming. _You cannot be serious_.

"It's those creeps from the lab again."

Brock gasped, "Team Rocket!"

Dawn groaned, "Not you guys again."

"Prepare for trouble."

"Make it double"

"To protect the world from-"

"Shut up!" I yelled. As the smoke cleared, I saw Ash lying on his back facing two angry looking adults in white uniforms and one scratch cat.

"How dare you interrupt our motto? Again!" Jessie cried, her head enlarging to massive proportions.

I shrugged, "Least I'm not a pedophile."

Meowth shrieked, "We ain't no pedop-" He vanished in a flash thanks to my trusty Quick Ball. But again, he popped out, still suffocating and gasping for breath. He collapsed, swirls in his eyes.

James looked at me with anger, "That was not nice!" I shrugged before I released Groyvle.

"Leaf Blade on that robot arm." Grovyle nodded and slashed through the metal with ease.

'Pikapi!' Pikachu cried as he and Froakie were freed from the spherical cage.

"Pikachu! Froakie! Glad you guys are okay." Ash said. He looked at Team Rocket, "Use Thunderbolt, Pikachu! And Froakie, use Water Pulse."

I decided to get in on the action, "Grovyle, use Energy Ball."

Pikachu launched a yellow lightning bolt. Froakie released a blue ball of water. Grovyle charged a green sphere of energy in his mouth before shooting it at Team Rocket. The three attacks collided with their target in a large explosion.

"We're blasting off again!" they cried as they flew into the sky.

"Huh." I said, looking at where they faded into the horizon, "I think we just killed them."

Dawn shook her head, "Don't worry, they'll come back."

I looked at her funny, "That's not possible." She shrugged.

Serena just stared at us, "What the heck just happened?" This time I shrugged.

'Fletchling!' We all looked up and saw a small gray bird with a red head flying around. 'Fletch fletchling!'

"What's that?" May asked, pulling out her Pokedex.

"Fletchling, the Tiny Robin Pokemon. Fletchling are fiercely territorial and will attack any trespassers without mercy." the Pokedex explained.

Ash looked up, "It's so cool! I need to catch it!" But then Fletchling dive bombed at us, its body outlined in white.

We jumped out of the way. "I think Fletchling thinks we entered its territory!" Brock cried as Fletchling did another dive bomb.

Ash called out, "Froakie, Water Pulse!" Froakie charged up a blue ball of swirling water and launched it at Fletchling. The Tiny Robin Pokemon took it to the face and fell to the ground, its eyes replaced by swirls. "All right, go pokeball!"

This time, the pokeball absorbed Fletchling in a flash of light and slowly rocked from side to side. Then it stopped and chimed. Ash picked it up, "All right! I caught a Fletchling!" Pikachu and Froakie jumped into the air.

I sweatdropped, "He really does do that every time." May nodded next to me. _Ugh, if I have to hear that one more time, I'm gonna get stabby._

After another two days of traveling along Route 4, we finally reached Santalune City. _Thank god! Civilization!_ I practically kissed the paved roads and the electrical outlets. _Oh how I've missed you._

"All right! Let's go get my gym badge!" Ash took off to towards a large building behind the city fountain. "Here I go!" Ash leaped into the air...only to land in the fountain. _Guess he wasn't paying attention. Maybe I should work on that with him._

"Hehe, here." A lady offered Ash a hand, which he took. She had blonde hair styled to have two large strands coming out of the front. She was wearing a sleeveless white t-shirt, dark green cargo pants and had a camera hanging around her neck. "Ooo wait a second!" She exclaimed as she took a picture of Ash. She looked at the camera screen, "Perfect! Alright bye!"

We all sweatdropped. "What just happened?" Dawn asked. We all shrugged and continued to the gym.

"Okay, let's go get my gym badge!" Ash cried as he ran through the doors, only to crash into someone.

"Oh so sorr-Hey Ash! Hey everybody!" Alexa said as she helped Ash up.

"Hi Alexa!" We all waved to the journalist, her Helioptile riding on her shoulder.

"So Ash, are you here to challenge my sister?" Alexa asked.

Ash nodded, "Yup! And I'm gonna win!" Pikachu pumped his fist.

Alexa laughed, "Nice to see your confidence hasn't changed. Well come on in." Alexa invited us inside and led us to through a gallery filled with photos of trainers and their Pokemon.

"Wow. So many different trainers." Dawn mused.

"There are Pokemon I've never even seen before!" Serena exclaimed, glancing at the multitude of photos.

Soon, we came to a large battlefield with a greenhouse roof. On the edge of the battlefield, many large and exotic plants towered over us.

While the rest of us went to the viewing area on the side, Ash walked up to the field and called out, "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! I'd like a gym battle please!"

Then the lady we saw earlier walked out onto the other end of the field, "Well I accept. My name's Viola and I'm the Santalune gym leader."

Ash looked surprised, "Hey it's you!"

Alexa looked puzzled. "Do you guys all know each other?" she asked us. We nodded and explained the story to her.

I turned to May, "How did Viola get here before us, without any of us noticing?" May shrugged.

A ref walked up to the platform on the side of the field. "This is a battle between the gym leader Viola and Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. This will be a 2 on 2 battle, however, only the challenger may substitute Pokemon. Are both sides ready to begin?" Both Ash and Viola nodded, grabbing their first pokeball. "Then begin!"

"Go Surskit!" Viola called, sending out a small blue insect-like Pokemon with four legs.

"Fletchling, I choose you!" Ash released his Tiny Robin Pokemon.

Viola gestured to Ash, "You can have the first move."

Ash grinned, "Fletchling, use Quick Attack." Fletchling flew at Surskit, his body outlined in white. But Surskit slid aside at the last moment.

"Use Signal Beam!" Surskit formed a square around it's body. From the center of the square, Surskit launched a bright pink beam at Fletchling, striking the flying-type square on the back.

"Fletchling! Are you okay?"

'Fletchling!' Fletchling declared with gusto (fancy word amirite?).

Ash smiled, "Then use Peck!" Fletchling's beak glowed white as he charged at Surskit. The robin struck Surskit dead on, badly damaging the bug-type.

"Now use Razor Wind!" Fletchling flew up high, his wings glowing white. After charging for a bit, Fletchling flapped its wings powerfully, sending several sharp blades of air at Surskit. They collided with the Pond Skater Pokemon with a bang, causing a dust cloud to appear. When the dust settled, it was clear that Surskit had been knocked out.

"Surskit is unable to battle, Fletchling wins!" the referee called.

Viola sighed, "Good job Surskit. Now go Vivillon!" a large pink butterfly-like Pokemon appeared from Viola's pokeball.

"What's that?" Dawn asked her Pokedex.

"Vivillon, the Scale Pokemon. When facing a predator, Vivillon can use its scales to place its foe into a state of submission." the Pokedex stated.

"Fletchling, Peck!" Fletchling dashed at the bug-type with a glowing beak, only to be knocked back by a powerful Gust.

"Well done Vivillon! Now use Psychic!" Vivillon's eyes glowed blue as Fletchling was outlined in the same color.

"Oh no Fletchling!" Ash cried as his Pokemon was sent crashing into the ground. When we all looked, it was clear that Fletchling had been knocked out.

"Fletchling is unable to battle." the referee called.

"Oh man. Just one hit!" Serena said, her eyes wide with shock.

May smiled, "But Ash still has Pikachu!"

"Yeah!" Dawn chimed in, "Pikachu and Ash are unbeatable together!"

Serena smiled back at May and Dawn and nodded.

I looked at the girls. _They ALL like Ash? Well definitely Serena but still damn. Gonna have to step my game up!_ I looked at Brock, who was off flirting with Alexa. _Maybe not that much._

"Pikachu, you're up!" Pikachu nodded and jumped onto the battlefield. "Use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu launched a large lightning bolt at Vivillon, striking it dead on.

Vivillon shrieked before shaking off the attack. Viola asked, "Are you okay?" Vivillon nodded and gazed intently at Pikachu. Viola smiled, "That was an awesome Thunderbolt, but it's not over yet! Sleep Powder!"

Vivillon flapped its wings, spreading a cloud of green dust over the battle field.

Ash thought for a second before saying, "Ah ha! Pikachu, use Quick Attack in a circle!" Pikachu ran around in a circle at rapid speed, causing the Sleep Powder to disippate.

"Wow. I didn't see that coming." Viola said, her eyes wide.

I smiled, "That was pretty good."

Ash grinned, "Now let's end this! Volt Tackle!"

"Pikapikapikapikapikapikapikapikapika!" Pikachu cried as he rammed into Vivillon in a burst of yellow energy. The butterfly crashed into the ground, instantly knocked out. Pikachu landed on the ground and cringed slightly as blue arcs of electricity dealt the recoil damage.

"Vivillon is unable to battle, Pikachu wins! Thus the victor of the battle is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!" the ref called as Viola walked over to Ash.

"Congratulations Ash! You've earned this!" Viola handed Ash a beetle-shaped badge. "That's the Bug Badge."

Ash cheered, "I just got the Bug Badge!" Pikachu and Fletchling jumped into the air.

I facepalmed, "For gym badges too?" But no one was listening to me; everyone had left to congratulate Ash. I shrugged with a smile and walked over to him too.

* * *

After the battle, we went to the Pokemon Center for the night, which made Serena and I VERY happy.

In the cafeteria, Ash, Dawn, Serena, May and I had sat down while Brock flirted with Nurse Joy ("No Croagunk, not ther-OH MY GOD!").

"So, let's head to Aquacorde Town for the Pokemon Contest and then to Cyllage City! That's where the next gym is." I said to the group.

Serena smiled, "And we're only a day away from Aquacorde Town, right?" She looked at me.

I remembered saying that back in Lumiose City, but that was before I knew how slow these guys traveled. But Serena looked so happy, that I just flashed a thumbs up and kicked myself inside my brain.

Ash stood up, "All right! One badge down, seven to go! Right Pikachu?"

'Pika Pikapi!' Pikachu pumped his fist.

I smiled and turned to May, "You excited for your first contest in Kalos?"

She grinned, "Way more excited than you know! I have a good feeling about Kalos!"

I nodded and turned to Dawn, "What about you Dawn?"

Dawn suddenly looked down at her lap and whispered something softly.

"What?" I asked, unable to hear her. She raised her head and I was shocked to see her in tears. I gestured for her to follow me to the hallway, where nobody would bother us this late at night. I put a hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay Dawn?"

She sniffed, "Yea, I'm fine. It's just..."

I raised an eyebrow, "Just what?"

She rubbed her eyes, "I don't want Ash or May to think badly of me."

 _Well thanks for caring about my opinion_. "Why would they do that?"

Dawn looked at me as a fresh wave of tears rolled down her cheeks, "Because I'm done with contests!"

* * *

 **What? A cliffhanger? NO WAY?! HOW CRUEL! jk this'll happen a lot...sorry**

 **Anyways, hope you liked the chapter. Remember to review plz! You have the time to make a guest moniker. Don't lie to me!**

 **Also vote on the poll on my profile! It affects the story so if you care about AiWU in any way, please check it out.**

 **Also, because school starts up soon, my updates are gonna be less frequent but I'll try my absolute best to get this story out as fast as I can. That's a Trainer Jayden promise!**

 **Anyways, have a great day/night and I'll see ya next time!**


	6. Generic Travel Filler Chapter

**Well here it is. The first chapter since I went back to school...and then I slowly stop updating...and eventually decide to reboot the story next year...again...again...AGAIN**

 **Just kidding! But no I won't be able to update as often. Sorry :(**

 **Note: I might be doing some 3rd Person parts in the story. Tell me what you think about that in a review. Or a PM. Or don't. Doesn't matter.**

 **Vote in my profile poll! You can vote up to three times!**

 **Review!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Insert joke here.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Generic Travel Filler Chapter**

Santalune City, Kalos Region (Dawn)

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

I groaned and turned over in my bed, Pika curled up on my pillow and Riolu at my feet. I closed my eyes. _Ash still has two more miles before he's done_. Earlier that morning, before the sun even rose, I started some early training with Ash.

* * *

 _ ****FLASHBACK****_

 _"Hey Ash."_

 _*snore*_

 _"Hey Ash"_

 _*snore*_

 _"Wake up you little shit!"_

 _*Smack!*_

 _"Oww! What the heck Jayden?"_

 _'Pika, Pikapika chu!'_

 _"Go run around the city perimeter."_

 _"Wha? B-but it's not even morning yet!"_

 _*Smack*_

 _"The entire city. And don't cheat; I'll know if you do."_

 _"...Fine"_

 _ ****END FLASHBACK****_

* * *

After Ash went on his way, I tried to go back to sleep but my conversation with Dawn last night kept me up. _Why the hell did I talk to her? Now I have to keep that damn secret!_

* * *

 _ ****FLASHBACK...AGAIN****_

 _"You're done with contests?" my jaw dropped slightly. Dawn nodded before wiping her eyes."Wha-wha-what? Why?!"_

 _Dawn looked at her feet, "I just...it's just that...," Dawn sighed, "I had a bad experience at the last Grand Festival I went to and..."_

 _I raised an eyebrow, "Didn't you get runner-up? I'm not that smart but I'm pretty sure that's a good place to be."_

 _Dawn laughed slightly, "That's what everyone keeps telling me but...I just feel like I'm not making any progress whatsoever. I've always gotten runner-up in Grand Festivals but that's the problem. I never grow. I never change at all. Some sort of variation would at least let me know that I'm different now than I was but nothing happens. I'm not getting anywhere. I feel...stagnant."_

 _Did this bitch just complain about winning too much...nah it's a little more complicated than that...but still. "Umm...I'm sorry you feel like that." I hesitated before awkwardly patting her shoulder twice, my arm rigidly straight, "But that's no reason to quit."_

 _Dawn sighed, "That's not all. Someone also told me something." I gave her a look of confusion before she started whispering something into my ear. My eyes widened and I felt my innocence shatter, "He said what?" More whispering. "Seriously?" More whispering, "Then he-with the Minum?" More whispering. "And the Cacturne ate the candy?" Dawn nodded. I exhaled heavily, "Damn, that guy's hardcore...what's his name?"_

 _"Harley. He's kind of...odd."_

 _I raised an eyebrow, ready to investigate further, but decided that the further away I was from Harley, the safer I'd be. "So why haven't you told anybody else?"_

 _She shrugged, "I didn't want any of the others to think badly of me." I sweatdropped, She really doesn't care about what I think, does she?_

 _ ****END FLASHBACK****_

* * *

I checked my watch; 7:04 AM. I groaned and sat up on my bed. I shared a room with Brock and Ash. The former happened to be sleeping on the bunk above mine, snoring loudly while muttering some sort of song about Nurse Joy...or was it Office Jenny...I couldn't tell.

I climbed down and walked out of the room and into the Pokemon Center Cafeteria, where a few sleepy-eyed trainers had settled for early morning coffee. I grabbed a plate of food and went outside, eating by the benches facing the city.

 _This trip got really complicated really fast. But I guess some good can come out of it; I can get the gym badges I missed. And I can help Ash control his aura. And maybe I can get May to go out wit-...wait what?_ I shook my head clear of those thoughts and closed my eyes, the world disappearing into blackness. I could feel my hair stand on end slightly. Suddenly, the blackness vanished.

The world reappeared beneath my closed eyes. Everything was outlined and shaded in different shades of blue, green, red, orange and pretty much any color you'd see at a LGBT parade. I saw everyone as a blurred outline surrounded by what I could only describe as flames. I could see their feelings, their memories, their injuries, the weight they put on their dating profile, their Ashley Madison account info, everything.

 _Okay...Ash is...twenty meters...fifteen...te-oh shit._ I opened my eyes, the world returning to normal. I saw Ash running up to me, completely drenched in sweat and smelling like a Muk that got a little too close to a Garbodor who liked to use a Skuntank as a boa. Basically, he smelled like shit.

"Hey Ash! Enjoy the run?" Ash, who had fallen on all fours and started convulsing, flashed me a thumbs-up. _Well at least he's got some fighting spirit._

I noticed him eyeing my plate so I subtly slid it over to him, which he accepted gratefully. _Damn! He's like a freaking Arbok! His mouth just unhinged...eww...and I thought I had an appetite._ After Ash devoured the plate I brought, he ran inside to get more. _Might as well get some more food._ _But first, I oughta get ready._

I went inside, slipped on my beanie and looked in the mirror. _Done._ I had slept in my normal clothes, with my cardigan and gloves lying in a pile next to my backpack. I reached towards the pile, but hesitated. _Should I?_ I nodded and grabbed my gloves, slipping them on. I checked on Riolu, Pika and Brock. _Still asleep._ I grabbed Grovyle's pokeball and went to the cafeteria to meet Ash.

"Heyf Jafden!" Ash shouted from the other side of the room, his mouth full of hash browns. _He certainly seems better_. I sat down with a new plate and stared nibbling on a bacon strip. "So what're we doing now?"

"Well we're gonna work on improving your endurance for a while. So maybe do some strength exercises out on the practice field." Ash started to sulk. "What? What's wrong?"

Ash groaned, "I thought we were doing aura training. So far, the only thing aura-related I've even seen was you dodging attacks...and when you flew around saving us on Prism Tower."

I looked up, an eyebrow raised, "You mean the Sidestep?" Ash looked at me funny so I made a gesture like a streak. Ash nodded. "That's not flying. That's more like high-speed movement."

Ash's eyes brightened, "Wow! Can you show me how to do that?"

I laughed, "Well that's what we're improving endurance for. Aura is volatile. It's life itself so unless you're physically capable of controlling it, you might hurt yourself pretty badly."

Ash sighed and nodded, "Fine..." But then he perked up, "But wait! I managed to use my aura to save Mew back then!"

I smirked, "Did your body start fading?" Ash's eyes widened and he nodded suspiciously. "Then you're not ready. That fading means you're using up your life energy. That means you don't have good enough control over your aura. And that just means you're not capable of harnessing it yet."

Ash sighed and resigned before resuming his feast. _Seriously, how does he not have heart disease?_ "Meet me outside when you're finished." Ash nodded without stopping his rampage.

I walked out to the practice field and started setting up, using my toes to mark out a circle into the silt covering the ground. _That should do it,_ I thought after the engraving was to my liking.

At that point, Ash walked out, now joined by Pikachu and Pika. "Hey Jayden! I'm ready to start."

'Kachupi!' Pika cried as he ran up to my shoulder and nuzzled my cheek. I smiled and stroked his chin.

I turned to my apprentice and smirked, "Alright Ash, this is gonna be fun" Ash's eyes widened and he burst into a grin. "...for me."

Ash fell over anime-style, "But what about me?"

"Ummm...not really. It's gonna hurt like hell for you." He gave me a puzzled look. I sighed and gestured for him to follow me to the middle of the circle. Pika motioned to Pikachu and our partners jumped off our shoulders and retreated to the sidelines. "This circle is the ring. I want you to try and push me out to win. Use anything you want in the ring. But if I push you out, then I win."

Ash raised an eyebrow, "How does this help me use aura?"

I grinned, "That's where my trusty blindfold comes in. You're gonna have to sense for me" And without saying anything else, I tied a strip of cloth around Ash's eyes. "Go when I whistle."

Ash grinned and got into a ready position. I just kept standing there and whistled for him to come at me.

He grinned, "Here goes!" Ash ran straight at me, arms extended out like a grappler. I smiled...and stepped to the side. Like a Tauros, Ash ran straight past me and right out of the circle.

I whistled, "Wheeet! I win." Ash turned around as if he was shocked and upon removing the blindfold, saw that he did indeed ran right out of the ring.

"Dang it! Do over!" I shrugged and motioned for him to try again. With the blindfold replaced, Ash once again ran at me, this time bent over and keeping low, aiming to tackle my waist to midsection.

Without hesitating, I angled my body and somersaulted over him, rolling on his back off my shoulder. I landed in a crouched position while Ash collapsed a few feet away, surprised by the unexpected weight I put on him. "Tsk tsk. Gonna have to do better than that."

Then Ash kicked out his legs at my foot, catching me by surprise and knocking me off my balance. _Okay that was cool._ I rolled in midair, landing on my palms like I was doing a handstand, only crouched. I then did a kip-up and returned to my feet. _But that was cooler_.

"That was pretty cool." Ash said, his body still facing me. _He saw that?_

I grinned, "Are you starting to see?"

Ash shook his head, "Not really. I just have a gut feeling about where you are." Suddenly, he ran at me again, only for me to sidestep. But this time, Ash pivoted on his foot, grabbed the back of my shirt and threw me as hard as he could. I maintained my balance and skidded back a few feet, still confident. _That was close but I'm okay._

Then Ash started laughing at pointed at the ground. I looked down and my eyes went wide; my heels were barely, just barely, touching the line. "I win!" Ash cried, jumping into the air while Pikachu did a peace sign. _What the hell is his deal with that freaking pose?_

I sighed and mock-clapped, "Okay I'll give that to you. You actually got me. Not bad."

Ash grinned and dusted himself off, "Well that was fun, but I should probably start training for the next gym bat-"

I cut him off, "Nope! We still have one more thing to do." Ash groaned, but nodded. "I'm gonna teach to draw on your aura."

Ash perked up, but suddenly looked suspicious, "But didn't you say earlier than using aura right now could kill me?"

I nodded, "But this isn't you using aura. Just drawing it out. I wanna see what you can do."

Ash saluted me and ran to the middle of the circle. He started to breathe in and out, puffing out his chest with every inhale. Then he looked at me, "How do I draw out aura?"

Pika, Pikachu and I all facepalmed. _Idiot._ I sighed and walked over to him.

"Aight, the first step is to get into the right pose. Spread your feet out about half a foot past your shoulders." Ash did that. "Then straighten out your posture and bring your hands to about chest-level" Ash did that too. "Now make a kind of sphere with your fingers and look right at the center of it. Once you do all of that, just keeping breathing deeply."

Ash nodded and started breathing loudly, inhaling and exhaling, inhaling and exhaling, inhaling and exhaling and so on. I sat down on the bench and started tapping on the sides, hoping for some development. But after around an hour of Ash doing nothing but breathing and staring at his hands, jack-shit happened.

I groaned and rubbed my head. _This could take a while_.

"Coffee?" I looked up to see May, without her bandana, holding out a cup of steaming black legalized-stimulant. I nodded and gratefully took the cup, chugging down the lovely bitterness.

"Ah! Thanks May." I said after emptying the cup.

"No problem." She smiled sweetly at me before asking, "So why is Ash standing there like that?"

"He's trying to draw out his aura, but it's not going well." I rubbed my head again, "I thought it'd be quicker than this."

May gave me a quizzical look, "What do you mean?"

"When we spent that night in Pallet Town, I sensed a huge aura in the middle of the night. I tried to find it again, but I couldn't. Then all of a sudden, Ash lit up like a Chandelure. It was one of the strongest presence I'd ever felt! And he didn't even know he was doing it; he was asleep! I figured he'd be some sort of prodigy, but...well _that's_ happening." I motioned at Ash who had stopped breathing in favor of some sort of frustrated grunting.

May laid a hand of my shoulder, "You have to be patient with him. Ash is slow and dense and has an unclear skill level and...wow he's a terrible protagonist...but he always figures stuff out. **(A.N. Tell that to the GS Ball)** Just give him a little time and he'll be using aura better than anyone."

I smiled, "You believe in him that much?" May nodded and looked at him with...something in her eyes. _Wait...first Dawn...then Serena...now MAY?! Goddammit! This guy is pulling!_

"It sucks we don't have those gloves with us right now."

I turned to May, "Gloves? What gloves?"

May raised an eyebrow at my sudden excitement, "The gloves Ash used in the Tree of Beginning. Sir Aaron's gloves."

My eyes widened, "He used Aaron's gloves? Successfully?" May nodded. _Wait a minute..._ Then I had an idea.

I walked over to Ash, who's face was practically covered in veins. "Ash, stop for a second."

Ash collapsed out of exhaustion but quickly pulled himself up, "Yea?"

I took off my gloves and handed them to him, "Put these on." Ash looked at me funny but slipped them on anyways. _I knew they'd come in handy_.

"Okay, now what?"

"Well those gloves are a conduit. That means they make it easier to focus aura. But maybe they'll make it easier for you to draw yours out. They'll work exactly like Aaron's gloves."

Ash's eyebrows went up, "Really?"

I nodded, "These gloves have a jewel to help you focus your power." The gem was a flat circular diamond in a small yellow circle with three lines running to the end of the glove from the bottommost point, one running diagonally from the right, one running diagonally from the left and one running right down the center. **(For reference, look at Sir Aaron's gloves; same thing, only take out the pearl and put in a flat diamond)**

Ash looked at the gray gloves with an expression of reverence, "Wow. These are so cool!"

I smiled and walked back to the bench. May looked at me quizzically, "So does this mean all Ash needed were some fancy accessories?"

I shook my head and smiled, "Nah. Aura's a bit more complicated. Since it's tied to emotion, we tend to draw on it instinctively. That's why Ash was able to use his aura to save Mew when that tree was dying. Sure you can use the gloves to make it easier, but in real life, it takes a lot more practice to use it efficiently."

May's face lit up with realization, "So right now, Ash can only use aura when his will is strong enough, right?"

I grinned, "You caught on quicker than he did." We both laughed loudly.

Then I felt something. I looked at Ash. He was growling softly, his eyes filled with determination. I saw the gems on my gloves glowing slightly, as if it were filled with a stream of brilliant blue light. Then I looked harder. It wasn't as clear as when my eyes were closed but I could see a fiery outline surrounding Ash. His aura was blue. Deep, oceanic blue. And I could see that the vast majority of it was concentrated in his hands.

 _He's actually doing it. He's really controlling his aura! It's only day one and he came this far? I didn't expect THAT much aura to be in his hands._ I smiled. _He's not bright, but he's talented._

Then, almost instantaneously, a small, faint, blue ring emanated from the center of Ash's hands, gently blowing the silt around him. Ash pulled his hands apart, apparently surprised at the development. I looked at May, but she was playing with Pikachu, oblivious to the development. Then I felt Pika tug on my shirt. He grinned and pumped his fist.

I smiled, "That was pretty good, wasn't it buddy?"I let Pika onto my shoulder before walking over to Ash. "Well I'll say today was a complete success."

Ash dropped his hands and started panting, "I feel so weird. Like I'm tired, but I also feel all this energy too." Ash slipped off the gloves and handed them to me.

I grabbed them and replaced them on my hands. "Well you did just use aura for the first time...without the fate of an ecosystem hanging in the balance."

Ash stretched his body and groaned, "It was so much easier at the Tree."

I facepalmed, "That's because you had a massive adrenaline rush and you had absolutely no sense of self-preservation."

Ash looked taken aback, "Wait, you can save the day without trying to sacrifice yourself?"

They say that my facepalm echoed throughout time and space. They say that it was so loud, that it actually sent a meteor orbiting the earth that contained an alien life form, into the past around 10 years or so and made it crash in...let's say the Arctic, where the alien mutated into a super adaptable Pokemon that really has too many goddamn backstories throughout the Pokemon canon, and then it battled Rayquaza and led to a fairly enjoyable movie.

* * *

 **May's POV**

After Jayden and Ash went inside to clean up, I started some contest preparation. Serena came out to watch while Dawn did her hair.

"Alright Blaziken, use Fire Spin!" Blaziken roared as a stream of fire curled into the air, casting a red-yellow glow on everything nearby. "Now Glaceon, use Blizzard!" Glaceon opened her mouth wide and released a gale of snowy wind at the Fire Spin. As the snowflakes collided with the Fire Spin, they started to glow red as if they were on fire and spun in a cycle. The attack disapated and the two Pokemon did a slight bow.

I squealed, "That was so good you guys!" I grabbed both of my Pokemon and wrapped them into a tight hug, only for Glaceon to freeze me with Ice Beam, apparently uncomfortable with my grip. _Well that was just uncalled for,_ I thought as Blaziken thawed me out with her wrist-flames.

I turned to Serena, "So what did you think?"

Serena beamed, "That was so cool! I can't wait to see the other combinations at the contest!"

'Fen fennekin!' Serena's Fennekin said as she strutted around, her chest puffed out and her head thrown up.

Serena laughed, "I can't tell if Fennekin wants to be a contest performer or a professional diva."

That got me thinking, "Hey Serena, what do you wanna do?"

Serena raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Well, what's your goal? Like Ash wants to be a Pokemon Master and I wanna be Top Coordinator. What do you wanna be?"

Serena laughed nervously, "I haven't really thought about that. I sorta just wanted to travel with Ash." She blushed when she said the last part.

I smiled, _That's exactly what I said back when I started_. "Don't worry, eventually you'll find something you wanna be."

 _"Besides Ash's sidepiece!"_

 _._

 _.._

 _..._

 _..._

 _Jayden, are you using telepathy?_

 _._

 _.._

 _..._

 _Sonovabitch hung up on me...How is that even possible?_

"May? You alright?"

I snapped back to reality and saw Serena's concerned look. I quickly threw my hands in front of my face nervously, "Oh yea, everything's good!" _I'm gonna talk to him later._

Serena looked at me funny before shrugging, "So now that you've got your combo finished up, what're you gonna do?"

I tapped my chin in thought before snapping my fingers, "Why don't we go to mall? I bet there's a lot of new seals and those little outfits for Pokemon!"

Almost as fast as Jayden at Prism Tower, Dawn appeared in front of us, "Did someone say shopping?" I nodded and we both started to jump up and down in excitement.

Serena looked at us funny, "Isn't that a little sexist that the only things we seem to be interested in are dressing up our Pokemon and shopping? I mean, is that really a positive message for girls everywhere?"

Dawn and I looked at her with bewilderment, "What are you talking about? This isn't The Flash, Doctor Who or any other show with good characters. This is Pokemon! Diversity and complexity are overrated!" Dawn nodded in agreement with me.

Serena suddenly smiled, "Yea. I don't know what I was thinking. Let's go be stereotypical females!" We three took off towards the mall. But all of a sudden, a massive hand dropped from the sky and blocked our path.!

 **No. No. No. NO! This is not allowed! You cannot seriosuly expect the readers to be interested by this bullshit! I don't care if it is a commentary on the anime, it's still not actually entertaining! Who wrote this shit?...Oh wait...me...sorry.**

We three sweatdropped. Dawn spoke up, "Umm...who are you?"

 **I'm the author. Call me Super Kami Guru...wait no that's copyrighted...wait no it's not! But I respect the source material so much!...Call me Super Author Guru. SAG for short.**

Again, we all sweatdropped. "You WANT us to call you Sag?" Serena asked, her eyebrows raised to unprecedented heights. The massive hand flashed a thumbs up. We all waited awkwardly before Serena chimed in again, "So can we go?"

 **No! Just because the chapter is about unnecessary travel filler, doesn't mean we need it to be boring! We should at least make an effort for it to be entertaining! You know what? Screw travel filler! I'm taking you to Aquacorde Town right now!**

The big hand snapped and suddenly, all three of us were outside a large arch leading to a Venice-like city. I turned around, baffled by what just happened. Ash, Jayden and Brock were also with us, completely taken aback.

"What the hell?" Jayden asked, his face conveying pure shock.

 **There! I skipped the stupid travel filler. Now you can get to your damn contest without interruption.**

I spoke up, "Umm...the contest is still a few days away."

 **Fine! Goddammit you guys are annoying as hell!**

The hand snapped again. The sun went up and down a few times. The sky changed color. People zoomed by around us. You know. Normal stuff.

 **There! It's three days later. Happy now?**

We all nodded.

 **Great. Now I can go back to my erotic Stan Lee fanfiction...I should probably erase your guys' memories.**

This time, Brock said, "Wait...is this just a cheap writing gimmick so you don't have to write travel filler and can just skip to the action? Are you that lazy?"

 **...Screw you**

The hand snapped again and..."Wait...how did we get here?"

* * *

After we blew off the fact that we had somehow appeared in Aquacorde Town without warning, we decided to go to the Contest Hall so Dawn and I could register for the contest tomorrow...also we skipped ahead three days...weird.

Soon enough, we found our way to a mid-size building with a ribbon pattern on the door. We walked inside and started to groan; there was a massive line for the ticket line and an enormous que ahead of us.

"Oh man! We'll never make it to the end!" Brock groaned as he collapsed out of broken spirits.

 **Freaking DMV lines...**

A loud snap rang through the building and like magic, the line cleared up and the building was empty except for the clerks, who didn't even seem to notice.

"Next!" One of them called in a bland, uninterested voice. I walked up.

"Hi, I'd like to register for contests here in the Kalos region, please!" I said, a smile spread across my face.

The middle-aged lady sighed, "Only one region you can register for in here ma'am." _I was just being nice. Rude._ "Your Pokedex, please?"

I handed her my red tablet-like device. She inserted it into a slot on her computer and handed it back after the latter beeped. She grabbed a card from below the desk and handed it to me as well. "That's your Contest Pass. You know how to use it."

"Thank you! Also, I'd like to enter the Aquacorde Contest tomorrow." I said, pocketing both my pass and Pokedex.

The clerk grumbled loudly before typing something into her computer. She turned to me and in an irritated voice said, "There, you're in. You done now?"

Another clerk called out, "Muriel! Be nice to the girl!"

Muriel stood up and shook her fist, "Forget you Marjorie! You've always been Miss Everyone-loves-me! Well I don't love you; I hate you!"

Marjorie puffed and turned away, "That attitude of yours is exactly why Bradley left you."

Muriel fumed, "No! Those rubber globes on your chest are why Brad left me!"

There was a long period of silence, broken only by Jayden's "Daaaaaaaamn."

Then Marjorie leaped at Muriel and the two started brawling while the other clerks watched with interest, the fight probably being the only exciting thing to happen in the history of the building.

After we left the building I talked to Dawn, "So did you register too?"

Dawn suddenly looked flustered, "Umm...about that...I...uhhh..."

Then Jayden burst in, "Dawn actually was about to, but then she decided to compete in the next contest so then you two wouldn't have to go against each other. Trying to keep the team spirit high, amirite?"

I raised an eyebrow, ( _Something's off...whatever_ ) but shrugged and left the matter. "Well, I think I'm gonna go practice some combinations, then ponder in the middle of the night, then compete in the contest."

Brock turned to Jayden, "The sass levels in this chapter are over 9000."

Jayden turned to Brock, "So are the shitty pop culture references."

* * *

 _The next day...still too lazy to write more stuff_

I growled as Serena plucked my hair again, trying to tame the brown monster. "Seriously, is all of that necessary?" I complained as she pulled for what must've been the billionth time.

Serena looked up, "You want it to look clean, right?" She spoke through the few dozen hairpins she kept in her teeth. I grumbled but sat still.

After a half hour and a few good screams, not gonna lie, I finally had my hair pulled into a ponytail, with a single strand dangling in front of my face. "Perfect!" Serena exclaimed proud of her handiwork.

I turned my head side to side in my mirror, inspecting every inch. _Guess I'm glad she's such a pro hairstylist._ "Thanks Serena! Now I know I can win!" I stood up, checked my outfit for any marks ( **It's her Wallace Cup outfit btw** ) and went from the dressing room to the waiting room where a couple dozen coordinators had assembled to wait for their appeals.

Serena tapped my shoulder, "I'm gonna go sit with the others. But I know you got this!" She winked at me and ran off. I smiled and sat down.

I surveyed my competition. There were a lot of novices, I guessed by appearances, but a few skilled ones too. There was a red-head with hair tied in loops who wore an orange dress with black accents. She had an extremely confident, almost arrogant, look about her. She also seemed vaguely familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Then there was another red-head, but she was looked completely different than the other one. She was relaxed and calm. Her hair was tied into a bun and she had a simple green shirt on over a blue skirt that went to her mid-thighs. _She looks so calm! How isn't she the least bit nervous?_

"May Maple. Please come to the stage for your appeal." the announcer called. I sighed and walked out the entrance to the hall leading to the stage.

I walked out onto the platform and gazed at the crowd. There were three stacks of bleachers, two on either side and one directly in front of me. Right at the foot of the latter bleacher, was the judging table with Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo and Nurse Joy.

I took a deep breath, "Blaziken, Glaceon, time to shine!" My Pokemon appeared in a bright flash of light and landed gracefully on the ground. "Fire Spin!"

Blaziken puffed her chest out and blew a massive curl of flame. Everything in the Hall took on a brilliant red glow. I heard the announcer comment on Blaziken's power, but I didn't pay attention.

"Now use Blizzard!" Glaceon jumped into the middle of the flames and spun around, a large gust of icy snow rocketing out of her mouth. The Blizzard and Fire Spin collided, causing the snowflakes to seemingly catch fire and fall slowly to the ground, forming what looked like microscopic lanterns. The effect made Glaceon's and Blaziken's fur shimmer brilliantly. We all took a bow and walked off the stage.

I felt my pounding heart slow down and sat down in the waiting room again. _That was pretty good, if I do say so myself._

"Will Jessibelle please come to the stage?" the announcer called.

The red-head with the orange dress grinned and ran out onto the stage. "Go Wobbuffet!"

* * *

Jayden peered at the new coordinator. "Is that...that's totally Jessie!"

Brock looked at her and responded, "Nah."

Jayden looked dumbfounded, "It's totally her! The hair's the same, the Pokemon's the same. Even the name is almost the same! Jessie. Jessibelle!" Jayden waved his hands like a madman.

Ash looked closely, "Nah."

Jayden facepalmed, "I'm surrounded by idiots."

* * *

"Umm...can you call out your other Pokemon?" Mr. Contesta asked from the judging table.

Jessibelle sweatdropped, "O-other...Pokemon?" Mr. Contesta nodded. "Ummm...Wobbuffet's worth two Pokemon, maybe?"

Her question was answered by three red X's on the overhead screen and loud buzzing sounds. Jessibelle tried to attack the judges, but luckily the security team caught her and dragged her outside, but not before she knocked out five of the guards.

All of the coordinators in the room with me sweatdropped. _Well that was new._

"Umm...sorry about that folks. Looks like we had some...technical difficulties there. So will Cassie please come to the stage?"

The other red-head walked out onto the stage. "Greninja and Delphox, come on out!"

A tall yellow and red fox and a blue frog appeared. "What're those Pokemon?" I asked, pulling out my Pokedex.

"Delphox, the Fox Pokemon and the final form of Fennekin. Delphox can use it's powerful psychic abilities to control the flame on it's sprig and even see into the future." I turned it towards Carrie's other Pokemon.

"Greninja, the Ninja Pokemon, and the final form of Froakie. Greninja are often found in swamps, where they use their swiftness to hide from targets before using their powerful Water Shuriken attack to dispatch them." the Pokedex sounded off.

"First, Will-O-Wisp. Then Greninja, use Water Shuriken and Delphox, Psychic." Carrie called.

Delphox formed a purple flame in her mouth and launched it into the sky where it split into dozens of smaller purple flames. Greninja formed a four-pointed star in either hand out of blue energy and threw them into the sky. Delphox's eyes glowed blue as the Water Shuriken became outlined in a pale blue light.

Then, Delphox guided the stars right into the many different Will-O-Wisp orbs, where the caused the latter to burst into a shower of beautiful blue and purple sparkles.

"Now Delphox, use Psychic on your tail sprig!"

Delphox grabbed her twig and used her Psychic to warp the flames around the sparkles, forming a fire tornado around the field. Then, the tornado gradually shrunk and shrunk before vanishing as it touched the two Pokemon. When the flames vanished, it was revealed that the sparkles had attached to the Pokemon's exteriors, creating a brilliant effect.

The crowd roared with applause and even the other coordinator's seemed awestruck. _Wow! That was...amazing!_

* * *

After a few more appeals, the judges congregated to decide who moved onto the battle round. After only a few minutes, they passed a note to a runner who took the note to the guy working the screen.

"Okay, the judges have made their decision! And the coordinators who will be moving onto the next round are on the screen right now!" the announcer declared as eight faces appeared on the display.

I held my breath until I saw my face on the third matchup. _Yes! I did it!_ Then I saw that Carrie was in the first round. _So we won't even battle each other unless we both get to the finals._

I locked eyes with her and grinned confidently. She smiled back sweetly and turned to the screen again.

 _I'm gonna win this contest. I'm definitely gonna win!_

* * *

"Seriously, that was clearly Jessie from Team Rocket! It's obvious!"

"...Nah"

"Son of a bitch!"

* * *

 **So that was Chapter 6. Sorry it took so long but school's been rough. But I'll try to get a schedule going, I swear.**

 **Thanks to Espeon44 for the OC! If you want yours in the story, just leave it in a review and use the OC form on my profile.**

 **Please review and have an awesome day/night/whatever weird time they have in your country.**

 **Wow that sounded super offensive...k bye**


	7. The One Where I Ripped Off a Sitcom

**Hey...it's been a while...I got no excuses other than I wanted to plan this story out more. But I'll try REALLY REALLY hard to update more frequently.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't Pokémon. I'm not rich.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The One Where The Author Ripped Off a Sitcom**

Aquacorde Town, Kalos Region (Afternoon)

 _ **May's POV**_

I brushed off my shoulder as Blaziken and Glaceon landed triumphantly on the ground, my opponent's Pokémon completely knocked out.

"Ricky's Lopunny and Gardevoir are unable to battle, May is the winner and the first of today's finalists!" the announcer cried as the crowd cheered for me.

"Damn you May!" Ricky screeched as he pointed a finger at me, "Someday, I'll make you pay for this defeat. You haven't heard the last of Ricky and the Hentai Hagglers!" And on that note, Ricky huffed and walked away, followed by his two over-sexualized Pokémon.

I sweatdropped and I could almost hear Jayden scream when Ash asked him what hentai was. _Well that was...odd._ I walked back to the green room where I ran into Cassie again.

She smiled at me, "Nice job out there. You don't battle like most of the other coordinators I meet."

I grinned, "Well I was gonna be a gym challenger before I decided to be a coordinator. Plus I had a lot of help from a friend." I reminisced to the times in Hoenn when Ash would show me different battling strategies. _Those were some good times. Shame it had to end so soon._

Cassie raised an eyebrow at my blank expression while I zoned out, but ultimately chuckled and bumped her fist on my shoulder and ran out to greet her opponent.

I sat down and sighed, gazing at the small viewing screen in the corner of the room. _I wonder if she battles as good as she performs._ I recalled her appeal, where she made her Greninja and Delphox sparkle like the brightest star. _That was incredible. But I don't know if she can match that in a fight._

I spoke too soon; the second Greninja touched the ground, he took off, speeding around the opposing Delcatty and Purloin. Delphox remained in the background, using Psychic to force the opposing Pokémon into a small area cordoned off by Greninja.

"Delcatty, use Giga Impact on Greninja!" the other coordinator, Mary, cried out in desperation.

Delcatty took off at max speeds, surrounded by purple and orange energy. The ground cracked under her feet.

Cassie grinned, "Shadow Sneak." Greninja vanished into the ground and suddenly reappeared behind Delcatty and slammed into her. However, nothing happened. _Delcatty's a Normal-type so Ghost-type attacks are ineffective. What's Cassie thinking?_ The judges apparently thought the same thing as Cassie's points dropped.

Delcatty quickly pivoted and smashed into Greninja. But again, nothing happened. My jaw dropped and so did Mary's points.

Cassie grinned, "Greninja's ability is Protean so it changes type according to what moves it uses. Right now, he's a Ghost-type so your Giga Impact isn't gonna work."

My jaw dropped further as Mary's points dropped even further.

"Wow! What a stunning display of strategy on Cassie's part, negating that powerful Giga Impact like that." the announcer cried, amazed at what he saw.

Jayden smiled, "Cassie's really good. That's a smart use of Protean."

Ash nodded, "Man that's so cool! I can't wait to try that with Froakie!"

Brock sweatdropped and gingerly touched Ash's shoulder, "That's not really how it works buddy." As Brock finished that sentence, Ash's soul shattered into a hundred pieces.

Cassie smirked, "Now Delphox, Flamethrower on Delcatty!" The fire fox swirled it's sprig around and waved it like a wand, sending a beam of fire towards Delcatty, sending the large cat flying back, knocked out. However, some of the flames hit Greninja, causing a burn on the now Ghost-typed Pokémon.

I sweatdropped, _Guess she forgot that Ghost-types aren't as resistant to fire as Water-types_.

Cassie rubbed her head sheepishly as her points went down with Mary and Greninja threw dirty looks her way. "Sorry buddy. But how about a Water Shuriken?"

Greninja complied and sent a large star-shaped water blast towards Purloin.

Mary panicked, "Purloin, jump up with your sprig!" Purloin complied, leaping several feet into the air, avoiding the Water Shuriken. However, a faint blue outline overtook her and left her floating in air. "Purloin? You can fly?"

The entire stadium face-palmed while Cassie just smirked and complimented Delphox on a well-timed Psychic. "Now use Flamethrower and Greninja, use Water Shuriken!"

The fire beam and water star collided with the floating cat, sending her flying off stage, smack dab into Mary, knocking them both out.

"Purloin is unable to battle, thus the round goes to Cassie, Delphox and Greninja!" the crowd went wild after seeing such a skilled battle.

I tightly gripped my shirt and looked at the timer. _3:30 left? Cassie did all of that in less than 2 minutes? That's...scary. And the way she used her Pokémon. She'd give the best of them a run for their money._

Cassie walked back in and grinned, "How'd you like the show?"

I just nodded, still dumbfounded by what happened. She raised an eyebrow again but chuckled, "You zone out a lot, don't you? That's fine. I probably do enough talking for the both of us. Anyways, I gotta go out before the finals. I saw this girl with blue hair and she was banging, ya' feel?"

Since I most certainly did not feel, I just nodded politely before leaving. I found my way up to the bleachers and collapsed next to Ash. "She's so good!" No response. I cleared my throat. Still nothing. I turned to poke Ash but stopped once I saw what he was doing: furiously scribbling down notes while Brock explained the mechanisms behind abilities and how to breed for the perfect Pokémon.

"The first thing to do, is find a Macho Brace and a parent with at least 4 maxed out IVs. Then find a Ditto and..." Brock rambled on while Ash wrote down everything he could. Even Pikachu helped scribble notes onto the notebook that just magically appeared.

Jayden and Serena, on the other hand, were having trouble not laughing at the sight of Dawn awkwardly declining Cassie's strangely aggressive advances. "Oh hi May." Jayden said through bursts of laughter.

I touched his shoulder and gestured to the hallway. He looked at Dawn now backing away from Cassie, who went in for a kiss, then looked at me. Then back and then at me. Back and forth several times before deciding to follow me, though his expression was grumbled.

"What's up?" He asked, leaning on a wall.

I rubbed my arm, "Do you think I could beat her?"

Jayden seemed taken aback by how forward my question was. He stuttered, "U-uh…y-yeah." He cleared his throat, "I mean of course you could." He then rubbed his chin, "Actually maybe not."

I sweatdropped. "Yes or no, Jayden!"

He dropped his hands and looked me dead in the eye, "You can't beat her in a battle."

Now it was my turn to be taken aback. "What? What do you mean?"

He shrugged, "Her Pokémon are better trained than yours. If it were a regular battle, I'd recommend a fancy strategy or something. But since it's a contest, you'd be better off coming up with a way to score some points early on and then outlast her until the timer runs out."

I stood there, dumbfounded. _Better trained?_ "My Pokémon are really well trained! Why did you say that?"

He threw his hands up in defense, "It's not that your Pokémon aren't really good cuz they are. But her battle instincts are damn near perfect. Plus, her strategy of cornering an opponent and then just pick them off piece by piece is really smart. Blaziken and Glaceon just can't match that." Then Jayden's face took on a quizzical expression, "Unless…" He whispered the plan into my ear and my face lit up with joy.

"That's really smart! How'd you come up with that strategy?" I asked.

Suddenly his face darkened, "Umm…maybe some other time." With that, he walked back to his seat. I looked at him, concerned, until I realized I would be late for the finals if I kept hanging around.

I ran to the green room as fast as humanly possible and walked to the field, taking my position opposite of Cassie.

She grinned at me from across the battlefield, "Good luck May!"

I smiled back, "You too, Cassie."

We released our Pokémon in brilliant displays of light, her Delphox and Greninja standing proudly in front of their trainer while Blaziken and Glaceon did the same for me. _Alright, just like Jayden said._

The announcer told us to begin and like Jayden said, Greninja took off, trying to shepherd my Pokémon into a small space for easy picking.

I grinned, "Blaziken, grab Glaceon, jump and spin around. Glaceon, use Ice Beam!" Blaziken grasped Glaceon tightly and leaped high, twirling rapidly as a light blue beam of frozen energy passed over the entire field, caking it with ice. The light blue glow also accented my Pokémon well, dropping Cassie's points slightly.

Cassie looked at me quizzically before she gasped as Greninja started to slip and slide around on the ice, unable to gain traction.

Blaziken landed strong, using its powerful claws on its feet to grasp firmly to the ground.

"Now use Sky Uppercut on the ground!" Blaziken's glowing arm struck the ice field, creating a fissure down to where Greninja lay, trapping his leg in an ice crack.

"Oh no! Greninja, use Shadow Sneak to get out!" Cassie cried. Greninja vanished into the shadows. However, I saw the shadow darting around the field and smirked.

"Blaziken, Sky Uppercut and Glaceon, Rock Smash!" The two Pokémon leaped into the air and smashed right into Greninja as he rematerialized. Ice flew everywhere and a haze crept over the field. When it cleared, Greninja was knocked out cold.

Cassie sighed and recalled Greninja. "Good job buddy." She looked at May with a smirk, "Not bad at all. But now it's time to get serious." I flinched a little at the last word; she said it with such vigor.

"Delphox, use Psychic to clear the field of that ice." Using its tail spring and the familiar blue glow, Delphox guided the flames around the field, quickly dispensing of any ice on the field.

"No problem. Blaziken, Glaceon, do it again!" The second they jumped into the air, Delphox had them with the Psychic. "Crap! Use Flamethrower and Ice Beam!"

The beams of fire and ice were halted in their tracks only a few feet from Delphox's face. _That Psychic attack is ridiculous! She's so strong!_

Cassie smirked, "Now drop 'em." Delphox looked down and my two partners crashed hard into the ground. The entire field shook with the raw power of that attack. However, only one Pokémon was seen in the crater: Blaziken and a small hole next to him.

Cassie looked around, completely bewildered while I grinned, "Blizzard!" From below Delphox, the ground began to frost up as a blue light burst from the solid rock. Glaceon popped out, bombarding Delphox with a gale of frigid wind. When she finally stopped, Delphox was completely frozen.

Cassie panicked, "Thaw out, quickly!" The fox began to stir beneath the ice, small bursts of vapor spewing out of cracks in the ice.

"Glaceon, quick use Iron Tail!" Glaceon's tail shined like metal as she struck Delphox across the head, shattering the ice, but also knocking down the fox. "Now Blaze Kick!" Not giving her time to rest, Blaziken sent her flying back with a powerful flaming kick.

Delphox was breathing heavily, but managed to bring herself to one knee. "Delphox, use Fire Blast!"

Before Delphox could open her mouth for the attack, Blaziken threw Glaceon at max speed towards Delphox. "Glaceon, use Giga Impact!"

Glaceon cried loudly as she smashed into Delphox at full force, sending the Pokémon crashing out of the field and onto the floor below. Three red X's appeared on the judges' panels and it was all over.

"Everybody congratulate our winner, Miss May Maple from Petalburg City!" the crowd went wild, cheering so loud it hurt. Mr. Contesta walked up to me with a case in his hand.

"Here you are May: the Aquacorde Ribbon! Congratulations." He handed me the ribbon. It was a golden water drop with blue cloth adorned with a single silver stripe down the middle.

"Wow! Thanks so much!" I grabbed the ribbon and held it up in a pose "Alright! I won the Aquacorde Ribbon!" My Pokémon jumped into the air.

"Blaziken!"

"Glaceon!"

"…They've held that pose for like 30 seconds now…Is it really necessary?" Jayden asked, sweatdropping.

Ash, Dawn, Brock and Serena looked at him like he was insane. He threw hands in front of his face in defense and they relented.

"But seriously, why is she just standing like that?"

* * *

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

Later that night, Brock, Ash and Serena were plotting out our next destination while I played Tug-O-War with Riolu. All the while, the two of us were communicating telepathically.

 _I'm glad Ash figured out how to use his aura, but I'm not sure what to teach him next. It's not like most of what I know is useful to him. And I haven't practiced passive techniques in years!_

" _You'll figure it out. Plus, I could sense what happened at that tower; you're not that out of practice."_ Riolu comforted me while trying to rip the rope out of my hand.

I smiled. _Nah. I used to be faster. A year ago, I would've been able to save everyone before anyone noticed. And I wouldn't have been so sloppy on the dismount._

Riolu shook his head, _"It's just a side effect of the gloves. I can sense your aura clearer than you can, remember?"_ Riolu cocked his head in a teasing fashion.

I grinned and tussled his fur. Then I realized what he said. _The gloves? They're weakening me?_

Riolu nodded, _"After what happened with the Wild Hunt and Meku, we can't take any chances with your powers going out of control again. Didn't you know that?"_

My face darkened. _Ryu's involved in this, isn't he?_ Riolu saw my anger, but nodded anyways. I gritted my teeth and got to my feet, rushing out of the room, making some passing excuse to my friends. Riolu chased after me, Pika close behind.

" _Jayden wait! What are you doing? Your grandfather has his reasons"_ I ignored his questions and left the Pokémon Center, bumping into Dawn.

"Hi Jayd-Hey where you going?" Dawn asked, concerned.

I brushed her off and ran to the nearby woodlands. I found a nice clearing and proceeded to breathe deeply. _"Wait Jayden! Don't do it!"_

Pika arrived at my feet, pulled on my pants leg and pointed back to the Pokémon Center lights behind the tree. "Pika, pikachu chu" I shook him off and breathed deeply.

"I have to see for myself. If anything happens Riolu, you know what to do." Riolu's ears dropped as he realized he couldn't convince me otherwise, but he nodded anyways.

I activated my aura sense and saw the world through life energy. _It looks the same._ I exhaled deeply and brought my hands together. Almost immediately, a swirling ball of blue-green light formed in my hands. I held it out with one hand and sent it flying at a tree. With a crash, it exploded against the trunk, blasting out a significant chunk of the tree.

Riolu tried once more, _"Please Jayden, what are you trying to prove?"_

I looked at him with anger, "I need to see how much weaker I am. Now drop it." I exhaled deeply and removed my gloves, my fingers trembling ever so slightly. _Here goes nothing._

I reactivated my aura sense and saw the world as it was meant to be seen. I could sense where anyone was for miles, what they were doing, what they were thinking about and even what they were feeling, whether or not they knew it yet. _This…is so much better. Just how dangerous am I?_ I formed another Aura Sphere and sent it flying at another tree. Thistime, the sphere exploded, knocking over several trees and scaring bird Pokémon for a few hundred feet.

I observed the damage and turned to Riolu and Pika, "That was a quarter of my full power." Their eyes widened and they lowered their heads, feeling pity for me. "How out of control am I? Can I ever use aura again? Fully?" I implored Riolu. His head bowed further and he shrugged, not knowing the real answer.

I clenched my fists. _Dammit! This is so unfair! I feel like I'm going to explode...wait no I really feel like-_ My thoughts were cut short as I fell to my knees, my hands searing from an orange light on the back of my palms.

Riolu rushed towards me and placed a paw on either hand and closed his eyes. The appendages on his head formed a horizontal line and a soothing blue light flowed from his hands onto mine. I immediately sighed with relief.

Then I felt sicker than ever before and coughed blood onto the ground. Riolu jumped back, but then started healing me again. I coughed weakly, feeling too tired to even move. "R-Riolu…What's wrong with me?"

He shook his head, _"There is a secondary seal on your body, which you activated when you tried to use aura without your gloves."_

My eyes widened and I sat up, feeling better, but still exhausted. "Ryu put a second seal on me?"

Riolu shook his head again, _"I sense your master's hand in this seal."_

At the mention of the man who ruined my life, my fists clenched up and blood rushed to my forehead. I could sense my power flowing around me, pulsing almost violently. Riolu simply tapped the center of my back and I felt my power vanish.

I felt Pika's fur bristling against my hand. Looking to my side, I saw him nuzzling my fingers, the gloves grasped firmly in his mouth. I smiled and reached over, slipping them on. Almost immediately, a wave of relief swept over me. The light on the back of my hands vanished and the burning sensation in my body ceased.

Riolu stopped healing me. " _Your injuries are gone. It seems as if those gloves will immediately counteract the effects of the other seal."_

I stood up and brushed myself off. I stared at my hands, "I'm gonna beat this. I have to. If all I have to do is control my emotions, then I'll overcome this easily."

Riolu shook his head, almost angrily, " _Why must you be so stubborn You have no need for power anymore! That time's passed now. The world doesn't need your combative talents. It needs your experience and your knowledge. If you really want to right your wrongs, bring back what you lost. Train a new generation of guardians. Restore our order._ "

I looked at Riolu, thinking heavily about what he said. Pika jumped onto my shoulder, looked me in the eye and nodded. From the Pokémon Center, I could feel Grovyle urging me toward this path as well. I sighed and nodded, "Fine. That's my goal. I'm gonna train Ash. The same way I learned."

Riolu smiled and leapt onto my other shoulder. With the two of them secure on my torso, I started walking back to the Pokémon Center.

* * *

 _ **Unknown Observer's POV**_

I saw Jayden start to leave the clearing and muttered something to my partner. We nodded in agreement and slowly crept to the side, prepared to charge.

* * *

 **Alright so that's Chapter 7!**

 **Remember to review, submit OCs vote in the poll on my page cuz I appreciate reader involvement. Just a few words in a review to let me know how I'm doing would be great!**

… **K bye**


	8. Ash Goes to School

**Hey everybody! This chapter's gonna be a bit longer than the last one. That is all.**

 **Disclaimer: I STILL don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Ash Goes to School…kinda**

Aquacorde Town, Kalos Region (Night)

 _ **Dawn's POV**_

When I saw Jayden leave the clearing, I almost squealed. I quickly signaled Piplup to follow me out. When I saw that Jayden was acting funny and then there was an explosion from the area he was headed, we ran out to see if he was okay.

Then we saw…whatever that was. The two of us ran directly out of the forest, taking a path off the side so we wouldn't run into Jayden and let him know that we saw him…do whatever he did.

After a few minutes of running, the forest opened to the Pokémon Center battlefields. _We made it! I thought he caught me for sure! But it looks like we're home free!_ I looked down at Piplup and grinned. Then I ran into someone and fell down.

"Ow…" I muttered, rubbing my head, my eyes closed from the jolt.

"Dawn?" I heard Jayden call my name, surprised to see me. I opened my eyes and saw that I ran directly into him. _Shit._ Pika got down and nuzzled my fingertips.

Jayden offered me a hand and pulled me up, "Thanks." I muttered, unsure of what to say.

Jayden cocked his head slightly, "What're you doing?"

My eyes widened, trying to come up with an excuse. "U-um…I was…jogging?" I looked down at Piplup who facepalmed…or faceflippered?

Jayden raised an eyebrow, "Jogging?" I nodded vigorously, a goofy smile on my face.

"In the middle of the night?" I nodded slightly less vigorously.

"With a one-foot tall penguin?" I nodded slightly.

"In a miniskirt and boots?" I barely moved my head.

Jayden looked at me quizzically, "Seriously Dawn, what's up? You're all dirty too. Does it have something to do with that Harley guy?"

I sighed, "No. I followed you into the forest and I saw…I don't really know what I saw."

Jayden paled slightly, "Oh." He looked at Riolu on his shoulder and then at Pika on the ground, "How much did you see?"

I shrugged, "Everything from when your hand started glowing." He looked down and sighed, combing his fingers through his hair. I looked at him worriedly, "Are you okay? You looked really sick for a while there."

He looked up and smiled, "Yea I'm okay. I just had a…bad reaction to using my powers."

I looked at him quizzically, "What exactly where you doing?

He rubbed his head, "I was…comparing how strong my aura is when I'm with and without these gloves." He waved his hands in front of me, showing off said gloves.

I raised an eyebrow, "Why would you need to do that. Your powers worked fine at the tower."

Jayden shook his head before he looked at his hands, "These gloves act like a lens. They're supposed to focus aura and make it easy to manipulate it." He looked back at me "But my gloves have a second purpose: they limit my powers and keep me in check in case I ever go out of control."

I cocked my head, "What do you mean? Out of control how? And what was with that orange light?"

"The light was another seal on my hands. It's supposed to incapacitate me whenever I try to use aura without the gloves. That's why I was sick."

My eyes widened, "That's horrible! Who did that to you?"

He averted my eyes, "…my old teacher."

My eyes widened further, "What? Why would he do that?"

He rubbed the back of his head, "That's kinda the answer to your other question. I…I did a bad thing a while ago. Something really, really bad. If I ever did that again, a lot of people could get hurt."

"Bad how? What did you do?"

Jayden just shook his head, "I don't really wanna talk about it. Sorry."

My eyebrow went up. I was about to say something, but then I saw his eyes. I saw…pain. Soul-crushing pain. I suddenly felt weaker then I ever felt. _What happened to him? He seems so…desolate._ I shook my head and decided not to pry further.

I stood around before nodding in the direction of the Pokémon Center, "Why don't we head back there and take a shower. We could both use one."

Jayden chuckled and nodded, allowing Pika to climb up his arm before walking back through the front door.

* * *

Santalune, Kalos Region (Late Morning)

 _ **May's POV**_

"Finally!" I cried, almost falling to my knees and kissing the ground when we reached the town gates. _2 days later and we're finally here! I need a nap…and a shower._

Brock smiled and patted my shoulder, "Come on May, we're almost to the Pokémon Center. You can rest up there."

I groaned, but I persevered through my pain and trudged in the familiar direction of the Pokémon Center. Once I saw the iconic orange roof, I made a break for it, Serena, Dawn and Ash in close pursuit. "FREEDOM!" we cried out.

"Freedom from what?" Jayden asked Brock, an oblivious expression on his face.

"FREEDOM FROM TIREDNESS!" I screamed in response.

"That doesn't make any sense…" Jayden whispered as we burst into the Pokémon Center's lobby, rapidly deposited our Pokémon with Nurse Joy and checked out rooms.

30 minutes later, I lay in my bed, hair drying up in a towel wrap and my skin tingling from the hot shower. _Ahhhh…that felt nice._ My eyes began to droop. _Good night world._

Then a scream forced my eyes awake. I turned to the bathroom where Serena was frantically trying to calm Dawn down. I stood up and ran over, trying to see what was going on.

"What happened? Are you okay?" I asked Dawn, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She shook me off and turned to me with a face of pure death, "Where's my hair bag?!" I sweatdropped. _Really…her hair bag goes missing and she throws a fit?_

Serena waved her hand, trying to calm Dawn, "I'm sure it's in here somewhere Dawn!"

Dawn grabbed her hand and dragged it down, giving Serena a horrifying face, "Don't try to reassure me dammit! I need that bag! I can't let Ash see me like this!" She gestured to her hair, which looked absolutely normal.

Serena and I both sweatdropped and quickly backed out of the room. The former sighed, "I don't know what's up with her. I'm sure Ash isn't so shallow to only care about how her hair looks."

I shrugged, "He may not be shallow, but he's pretty dense." Serena and I giggled before I grabbed my bandanna… _Where's my bandanna?_ I ran around my bed, checking every corner and every cranny for any sign of the blue square of fabric. I turned to Serena with a panicked look on my face, "My bandanna's gone!"

Then I realized she was freaking out too, "So's my cooking bag!" We looked at Dawn and all simultaneously screamed. Then we heard a scuttling outside our room. We turned to the window and were surprised to see it was open. _How did we miss that?_

I ran to the opening and looked in either direction. I caught a glimpse of a foot turning the corner outside towards the street. "They're getting away!"

The three of us grabbed our Pokéballs and chased after them. Along the way, I knocked on the boys' room to alert them to the situation. I heard Ash call after us before he and Jayden appeared next to me, Pikachu and Pika on their respective shoulders.

"What're we doing?" Jayden asked mid-run.

I pointed to the person we were chasing…who was a little…short. "He stole my bandanna!"

"And my cooking supplies!" Serena added.

"And my hair bag!" Dawn growled, fierce determination in her eyes.

After a few minutes of running around Santalune City, I got tired, "Blaziken, come out and catch that crook!"

As Blaziken materialized in a white flash, Jayden muttered to me, "Catch that crook?" I turned to him with a raised eyebrow. He just shrugged, "Just sounds kinda silly is all." I shook my head and walked over to the apprehended criminal.

And it was a little kid… _wow. This is a new low._ I could see the stolen supplies in his hands.

I sighed and gestured for Blaziken to drop him. I heard scuffling noises and saw Jayden struggling to hold Dawn back from mauling this kid. I shook my head again. _I need new friends._ I squatted down and asked nicely, "Why did you steal our stuff little boy?"

He cocked his head and responded, "I'm not a boy." He then grinned, "I'm a Pokémon!" I pulled my head away, surprised. _What the hell?_ "And I used Thief!" He then tried to run away, only for Blaziken to pick him up by the shirt and dangle him a few feet off the ground while the boy apparently used Flail.

I sighed and asked the kid, "Okay that's great, but can we have our stuff back?" The kid shook his head and continued to flail around.

Jayden just smirked and pulled the stuff right out of his hands and deposited them in the owners' arms. I smiled, tying my bandanna back into place. Dawn immediately whipped her hairbrush out and started going down her blue locks.

The kid started to scream "No fair! That's cheating! You can't use Thief on me!"

Jayden chuckled and responded, "I used Covet. Does that work?"

The kid stopped screaming and thought for a bit, "I guess so." Seeing that he was calm, Blaziken dropped him down and I recalled the latter. _Thanks for your help._

I bent over the kid, "So where'd you come from? You lost little guy?"

He shook his head, "No, I just didn't wanna go to the field trip." Then he puffed his chest out, "And don't call me little! I'm Big Adam.

I giggled and responded, "Okay Adam. Are you on a field trip for school?"

He nodded, "Yea. I go to the Pokémon School and my teacher was gonna take us to Route 22 to learn about the Pokémon over there. But I don't wanna learn about other Pokémon. I'm the strongest Pokémon there is!" He puffed his chest out again, earning another giggle from me.

"Can you take us to the school?" Ash asked, excited by the prospect of learning about Pokémon.

Adam shook his head, "Nope! I have important business to attend to. Some rival Pokémon are attacking my base and I have to stop them!" With that, Adam ran off. However, he stopped ten feet out and returned to me, grasping my hand. "We shall meet again soon my love. Someday." Then he licked my hand and ran again, this time for good.

I wiped my hand off, a look of disgust on my face. Jayden and Serena struggled not to burst out laughing while Dawn finally finished brushing her hair off.

Ash turned to me, "So now what? I really wanna go to that school!"

Serena just shrugged, "They're not over there anyways. Remember? The class is on a field trip."

Ash pouted before he had an idea, "Why don't we go to Route 22? We can follow them on their field trip!"

 _Ugh, not more moving!_ "I don't know Ash. We just got here and we haven't even eaten yet."

Ash waved his hands and took off in a completely random direction. Jayden sighed and ran after him "Ash! Wait up!"

I turned to my female compatriots and gave a resigned look. They shook their heads and I shrugged before taking off behind the two boys. "Both of you: slow down!"

By some miracle, we actually ended up at the gate to Route 22. I could see a large grassy field and a long corridor of trees. I also heard the trickling of a river behind the trees. _It's beautiful!_

The three of us started walking down the path, observing several wild Pokémon in our way. Then we saw a small group of kids surrounding a woman with light blonde hair, a white tank top and green cargo pants.

She looked familiar, but before I could recognize her, Ash called her name, "Hey Viola!"

The Santalune City Gym Leader turned to us and grinned, "Hey Ash, May and Jayden! How've you all been?"

"Pretty good. We actually ran into one of your students in the city." I replied.

Viola facepalmed and a little girl pulled on Jayden's pants leg, "Did Adam steal from you guys too?"

Jayden laughed loudly, "This happens a lot?"

Viola shook her head, "You have no idea. Anyways, I'm just teaching them about the wild Pokémon in the area. You're more than welcome to listen."

Ash nodded, a thirst for knowledge in his eyes. I noticed Jayden staring at a distant island in the river, "What's up Jayden?"

He ignored me, deep in thought. Then he proclaimed, "Sorry Viola, but Ash and I have some training to do."

Ash fell anime-style and begged Jayden with anime-tears to let him stay, sobbing onto his shirt. Jayden swatted him away, "Dude, haven't you been doing this for years? I'm pretty sure you already know what she's teaching them."

Ash started bawling, "B-but but…Pokémon!" Jayden groaned and dragged him by the collar, Pikachu jumping onto Jayden's shoulder opposite of Pika. Viola and I just sweatdropped at the scene.

"Um…okay then." Viola chuckled awkwardly before spotting something in the distance, "Ooo! Class, look at the pretty Pyroar!" I turned with the kids and marveled at the sight. A tall brown lion with a mane of fire stood proud among the field. Next to it was a smaller lion with a plume of fire emanating from its head. "The bigger one is the daddy Pyroar and the smaller one is the mommy." The class "oo'ed" and "ahh'ed" on cue.

Then I heard a rustling sound behind me and turned to see Viola scrambling for something in her backpack. "Whatcha looking for?" My question was answered almost immediately as she pulled a camera out of her bag.

"I'm gonna go follow those Pyroar and see if I can photograph the whole pride! Watch the class until I get back." Viola then took off.

It took me a few seconds to register what just happened before I called out, "Wait what?"

"Don't worry, you'll be fine! I have complete faith in you, May!" she called from afar.

"Isn't this really irresponsible of you as a teacher?" But she didn't respond. _Great. Now what?_ I looked at the class, all of whom expected me to do something.

I stared at them awkwardly before one chimed in, "Do you have any cool Pokémon to show us?"

A smile lit up my face, "Sure I do! I'm actually a world-class coordinator."

The class ahh'ed perfectly on cue. _On second thought, this won't be too hard after all._

"Skitty, Beautifly! Come on out." I called as my two Pokémon appeared in a flash of light. "How about I show you guys a cool contest move?" The whole class cheered in agreement. "All right then! Skitty, use Assist and Beautifly, use Silver Wind."

Skitty's paw glowed white and released Blaziken's Overheat into the sky. The yellow and white flames shot high up before Beautifly used her flapping wings to cast a silvery gust of wind over the fire, containing it into a vortex. The silver particles in the air also made the whites of the fire appear silver themselves.

I looked at the class and grinned; they were all mesmerized by my display. _They're enjoying it! They better, too. I haven't even used this yet._ "Now Skitty, Blizzard!"

Skitty's mouth opened wide and she blew a gale of ice into the sky. The Silver Wind reflected perfectly off the snow, making everything glow silver. The attack also made the Blizzard swirl around the Overheat vortex.

 _Now for the grand finale!_ "Aerial Ace, right into the center!"

Beautifly charged into the middle of the two vortexes with full force. She tore through them and caused an explosion of sparkling powder to fall from her wings. As she flew around the kids, she deposited waves of the sparkle dust, making everything shine brightly.

The kids started clapping and laughing, playing with the dust particles before they dissipated. I rubbed Skitty and Beautiflys' heads before recalling them. "Good job you two! Now take a break."

Then I heard a slight purring from behind me. I turned and saw a small brown cub with a red mohawk watching me intently. His head was slightly cocked and his eyes full of wonder.

"What Pokémon are you?" I asked, pulling out my Pokédex.

The metal square opened up, revealing the holographic screen and the speaker sounded off, "Litleo, the Lion Cub Pokémon. Litleo must leave its pride and fend for itself in order to grow up strong."

"Wow a Litleo. It's so cute!" I walked towards him, with my hand extended, but he growled and pulled away. "It's okay. I'm a friend." I held my hand again. This time, Litleo sniffed my hand and sneezed. A few embers came out of his nose and singed my hand. This time I pulled back, rubbing the warm spots. _No burns. Luckily._

Litleo mewled and walked up to me, licking the brown soot marks on my hand. I smiled and rubbed his chin. He began to purr contently. "Did you like that contest performance Litleo?"

He nodded, "Lit litleo lit!"

I smiled, "Well if you come with me, I bet you can do one yourself." Litleo's eyes widened before he nodded enthusiastically. I grinned and held out a Pokéball, which popped open and sucked the little cub in. It rocked a few times before chiming.

"Alright, I caught a Litleo!" I struck a pose and the class clapped for me. _At least Jayden didn't see me do this pose_.

* * *

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

I sneezed loudly, almost as if someone mentioned me by name. _Hmm…weird._ I looked back at my prodigy, who was taking a minute to change into the training clothes I so happened to have on my person. _Fanfiction is so convenient sometimes._

"Alright I'm done!" Ash called, jumping up and dusting off the athletic pants and white tank I had him wear. I nodded with approval and motioned for him to follow me.

I turned to Pika, "So I'm thinking I'll do everything that my mentor did for me. If I'm gonna train him, it's the most effective way I know how. Sound good?"

Pika nodded and grinned, "Pi pika kachupi!"

Soon we reached the river and I saw three wooden posts placed about five feet apart in a straight line to a small island. _Perfect. This'll be a good place to train._ I turned to Ash, "Okay. I want you to cross this river."

He looked at me quizzically, "That's it? Just cross it?" I nodded and he smirked, "Please; I can do that." I gestured for him to continue. He got ready to jump the gap between the ground and the closest post.

Then I added, "You can only jump three times." He immediately turned to me.

"Wait what?" I nodded. "But…I'd have to jump at least four times to go from post to post!" I shrugged and smiled. He groaned but ran back about twenty feet. He took a deep breath and ran full speed toward the edge. He jumped at the last second and…landed on the second post. "Yes! I did it!" He threw his hands up in victory.

I smiled and shrugged, "Did you cross the river yet?"

His smiled faded, "Well…no not yet, but I-" I cut him off with a look and pointed to the island. He grunted something probably rude, but jumped to the last post and then onto the land. "There. Now I did it."

I gave him a quiet clap before leaping high into the air and landing on the island in one fell swoop. He looked at me, mouth agape. "Don't worry. I'll teach you how to do that soon."

He grinned and looked intently at me, "So what did that exercise do for me? Build self-confidence? Grow leg muscles? Develop jumping ability?"

Now I grinned, "Absolutely nothing." He fell anime-style and rage-faced me. I laughed, "I just wanted to see if you would actually do whatever I told you." He grunted more probably-rude things, but I ignored them.

Pika looked at me as if he was saying, 'Really jackass?'

I just threw my hands up at him, "What? It was funny!" Ash shook his head and turned away angrily. I sighed and muttered, "It was funny to me."

I moved in front of Ash and gestured for him to sit down on the grass. I did the same and remarked on the surroundings. _It's so peaceful here. Oh look: a magical fire tornado! That's perfectly norm- What the hell? Must've eaten something funky._

The two of us sat there for a while, just looking around the oasis. Pika and Pikachu took the time to curl up under a tree and take a nap. Ash was the first to break the silence, "So what're doing today?"

I turned away from the school of Magikarp I saw in the water to look back at my protégé, "Well I decided that I'm focus whole-heartedly on your training." I saw him turn his head in confusion. I saw a question coming so I answered it preemptively, "That's not to say I was half-assing it before…Except that's almost exactly what I'm saying."

Ash looked more confused than ever, "I don't get it. Was our training good or bad? And what're we gonna do differently?"

I sighed. _I need to think about how I'm gonna do this._ "Well…so far, I've been teaching you how to control and manipulate aura. But I haven't told you anything about what aura is and how we can use it. Part of my training as an Aura Guardian was this stuff. Aura manipulation was one of the last things I learned."

Ash groaned and fell on his back, "I'm never gonna learn how to do any of this cool stuff!" I exhaled, reached over and flicked his forehead. "Ow! Why?"

I sat back down, "Shut up and let me finish, okay?" He nodded, rubbing his forehead. _Arceus, he is impatient._ "So like I was saying, part of becoming an aura guardian is completing your education. But lucky for you, the only stuff you need to know before your real training is pretty short. I'll fill in the other bits and pieces here and there, but to be an Aura Guardian, this is all you need to know. So tell me when you're ready."

He waited for a second before he realized what I asked him to do, "Wait, you want me to _learn_? Like, _take notes_?" I nodded and he fell anime-style.

My head increased in size out of my anger, "Just deal with it! It's important that you understand what an Aura Guardian is if you want to be one."

Ash pouted, but nodded and gestured for me to start, "I'm ready when you are."

I smiled and cracked my knuckles, "Well the first question we need to answer is "what is aura?" Do you know the answer to that?"

He grinned and threw his hand up, "Oo oo! Pick me!"

I sweatdropped. _He's the only one here. Though props to him for the enthusiasm._ "Yes, Ash?"

He dropped his hand and beamed, "It's life energy around us."

I raised an eyebrow, "Not bad, but sorta basic too. It's a force of sorts made from the living things of the world, not just their life energy, but also their emotions, thoughts and interactions with each other. Also, it's not just around us. It's inside us, flowing through us, around us and everywhere else in between. You follow so far?"

Ash looked at me, completely engaged and focused. _Wow. He's dedicated if nothing else._

"Anyways, that's aura. Everyone has aura inside of them. And the aura in the environment is distorted by objects and matter. That's how aura sense works; you read the aura, scanning the sources of it and the distortions. You good?"

Ash nodded and I smiled. _I'm pretty good at this teaching stuff._

I continued, "Anyways, anyone can manipulate aura with the right training. That's why everyone feels physically different when they experience emotional highs, like when a mom lifts a car to save her baby or a kid goes nuts when someone breaks his toy. However, some people are more reactive to aura than others. The most intuitive are known as Aura Sensitives. Right now, that's you."

Ash pointed at himself, "I'm an Aura Sensitive?" I nodded and he grinned, "Cool! I'm an Aura Sensitive!" He went to Pikachu and whispered to him, "Hey buddy, did you hear? I'm an Aura Sensitive." Pikachu responded by shocking him in retaliation for the rude awakening.

I sighed and continued, "Aura Sensitives are the ones usually trained. They're already naturally skilled and more aware of the weird stuff around them. When they start official training, they become apprenticed to a teacher and become known as Aura Novitiates. That's what you'll be before today's over."

Ash laughed in excitement, "Oh man, I can't wait!" I gestured for him to be quiet and I went on with my lecture.

"After your teacher thinks you're ready, you're given a test and if you pass, you become an Aura Guardian. Their job is to protect either the people and Pokémon of the world or the sacred lands of the Guardians. You still follow?"

I sighed when I looked to see Ash snoring. I slapped him awake and repeated everything I said. "Sorry Jayden." He muttered after I finished repeating myself.

I sighed and patted his head in forgiveness, "Most aura users never go past Aura Guardian. That's because to move up is the ultimate test. To get to the final stage, to become an Aura Master, you have to show complete appreciation and control over your powers. You have to tame a legendary Pokémon." I waved my hands dramatically at the last part.

Ash just sweatdrop, "SO you have to catch a legendary Pokémon? I know like twenty people who've done that! Does that make them Aura Masters?"

It was my turn to sweatdrop, "There's a difference between taming a Pokémon and catching it. Taming it involves bonding with it, forming a connection and understanding one another. You need to stand on equal footing as friends, not owner. Showing a legendary Pokémon that you see it is a partner and a friend, not just the means to an end, is the ultimate feat of aura. You need to have perfect control over yourself and your emotions. Most people fail at this. It usually takes years of training."

Ash cocked his head, "Do you know any Aura Masters?"

I nodded, "A few friends of mine. My buddy Logan became a Master around the same time I became a Guardian. He bonded with a Latios."

Ash nodded, deep in thought, "I've always wanted to treat Pokémon as friends, but now I'm even more excited to!" He pumped his fist with determination, causing me to smile with approval. Then he lowered his fist, "Wait, what do Aura Masters do?"

I rubbed my chin, "That's a kinda loaded question. Honestly, Masters are at the point where they can do just about whatever they want. Some choose to spend their lives studying or meditating on the nature of aura. Some choose to lead squadrons of Guardians. Some choose to join the High Conclave. It really depends."

Ash perked up, "What's the High Conclave?"

I sighed, remembering what happened so long ago, "It is…it was the governing body of the Aura Guardians. Its members dictated what practices were taboo, assigned missions, approved mentorships and decided who was worthy of becoming an Aura Master. The leader was known as Sovereign and they were usually the most powerful aura user of the era."

Ash's eyes widened, "The strongest aura user…Who's the Sovereign right now?

I looked down, remembering the face of someone I failed so miserably, "Sovereign Kisaka. She was killed a little a couple of years ago."

Ash was taken aback, "She was…killed?" I nodded sadly. Ash looked dumbfounded, "But I thought she was supposed to be the best Aura Master."

I shrugged, "There are some things stronger than an Aura Guardian."

"But why hasn't the Conclave picked a new Sovereign person?"

I drew a pattern into the ground: the aura symbol, "They're gone." Ash looked like he wanted to talk, but he didn't, sensing the uncomfortable direction the conversation was headed.

We were silent for several minutes, Ash fiddling with his pant leg all the while, before he looked up, "So that's what an Aura Guardian is?"

I nodded, "For now, that's all you have to know." _I'm glad he changed the subject. I'm not too keen to relieve that shit all over again._ I stood up and stretched. "Come on, let's do something fun."

Ash stood up, but tensed up when I said 'fun.' "Will it really be fun? Cuz last time you said that, I ended up falling off a cliff."

I rolled my eyes, "Are you still on about that? Dawn already beat the shit out of me and I said sorry like a million times."

Ash's vein popped out, "My back is STILL misshapen!"

I threw my hand up, "Whatever you say. I just thought we could train your reflexes and your senses at the same time." Ash raised an eyebrow and I knew he was interested, "We're gonna fight. And I want you to wear the gloves."

"Why do I have to wear the gloves? I can't use aura without concentrating really hard."

I shook my head, "The gloves will naturally bring your aura out and since you'll have some adrenaline going, it should be easy to feel it. And if you get a feel for it, it'll be that much easier when we actually start manipulating aura." With that, I handed the gloves over and Ash happily slipped them on.

Pika's ear twitched and he suddenly woke and looked at me, widening his eyes when he saw the gloves off. _Relax buddy. I'm not gonna use aura without the gloves. I'll be fine._ He seemed content with my answer and went back to sleep.

Ash took a ready stance, "So how's this work? Do I start or will yo-" He was cut short when I punched him in the nose. Stumbling back, he blubbered about not being ready before making several wide haymakers, all of them missing.

I smirked, "You can't telegraph your moves so much. You're an Aura Novitiate. You should be sensing my moves and then work off that, not vice-versa." With that, I flipped over him and buckled his left knee, bring him down. I then grabbed his neck and made a cracking sound with my mouth, "There, you died. Now try again."

Ash turned to me with a look of pure shock before I gestured for him to hurry up. He growled, "Alright, this time won't be so easy!" Ash got low and kicked his leg out. I jumped back and countered with a jab to the nose.

Ash ran back, clutching his bright red nostrils. Then he made an attempt to right-cross me, only to have his legs swept by my own. He fell onto his back with an 'oof' and gasped for air, the wind knocked out of him.

While he rolled around, I sighed. _This is gonna be harder than I thought, isn't it?_

* * *

 _ **Ash's POV**_

 _Well that sucked._ Jayden was carrying me on his back on the way to the Pokémon Center from training. The noon sun faded to the moon over the course of our training, but I only got a few good hits in, only one of which actually seemed to hurt. _I'm so sore. And I haven't eaten since breakfast._ On cue, my stomach growled loudly.

Jayden turned his head and smiled, "Hungry?" I nodded and he laughed, "We're almost at the Pokémon Center and the café there's always good."

I shrugged, "I just want some food and some sleep. And I need to start training Froakie and Fletchling or we'll never get to the Kalos League."

Jayden waved his hand, "I thought the same thing when I started training. The thing you learn pretty quickly is that the stronger you get, the stronger your Pokémon get and vice versa. You're friends and that means when one benefits, so does the other."

"Wow! Really? That's incredible. Aura's so awesome, I just can't wait!" My voice started cracking with excitement. After a few minutes, the orange roof of the Pokémon Center came into view. However, we could see our friends on a picnic bench outside.

"Hey you two! How was training?" Brock asked as we approached, stirring a large pot of some soup.

Jayden set me down and I answered, "Exhausting. What's all this?"

Brock set the ladle down and smiled, "Well I figured you and May deserved a special meal for your accomplishments, so I threw something together for us and the Pokémon.

Serena, Dawn and May walked past with a plates, silverware and napkins. "Hey guys," Serena said with a smile, "Mind giving the Pokémon their food?"

We nodded and threw out our Pokéballs. In a flash, Froakie, Fletchling, Grovyle and Riolu appeared. Serena freed her Fennekin and Brock did the same for Chansey, Steelix, Crobat and Geodude. Dawn released her Pachirisu, Mamoswine, Togekiss, Buneary and Quilava. May did the same, revealing Blaziken, Beautifly, Glaceon, Skitty, and a new brown lion.

"Hey May, who's that?" I asked, crouching down to scratch the new Pokémon behind the ears. He allowed me to get close, but backed away towards May right before I pet him.

She giggled, "This is Litleo. I just caught him and I think he's a bit shy."

Jayden picked up the big bags of Pokémon food and distributed it into several large bowls for the Pokémon to eat. Then the six of us sat down and gorged on Brock's soup. Which was delicious. It was so good, I blacked out for a while and woke up to find several empty bowls in front of me. I heard scuffling behind me and saw Jayden yelling at Grovyle. I smiled and turned back to my soup.

"I don't care that you want candy! Eat the damn food!"

"Gro grovyle!"

"No, you cannot have candy; I told you to eat this."

"Vyle gro?"

"Because it's good for you!"

"Gro gro vyle grovyle?" I heard some rocks shuffle around.

"No that is not rock candy! That's a normal freaking rock!"

"Vyle." I heard a loud crack and several consequent crunches.

"Stop eating the damn rock!" I heard a slapping sound and suddenly I felt as if there was something behind me. I turned quickly and held my hand out, catching the rock thrown at me. My eyes widened with surprise and I looked at Jayden, still in the position he was in when he smacked the rock out of Grovyle's claw.

Jayden had a dumbfounded look on his face, but he quickly grinned and gave me a thumbs up.

I beamed and turned back to my soup while Jayden finished lecturing his Pokémon. _Maybe today wasn't a complete bust._

* * *

 **Bam beeyotches. Chapter 8.**

 **Special thanks to** **RPD490 for the OC! And also thanks to Espeon44 for the last chapter cuz I forgot to give proper recognition. My bad.**

 **Review cuz it helps me and its not too inconvenient. A few words are still really helpful so JUST DO IT! (Credit goes to Nike or Shia LaBeouf. Depends on whether or not you like sweatshops and/or Michael Bay movies)**

 **Please send your OC's in to be in the story cuz I will require them.**

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 **Thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.**


	9. Everyone's Big Adventure

**Okay, well I would've had this chapter up earlier, but Daredevil Season 2 just came out and it's freaking amazing. So yea…I'm a bit late.**

 **Blow me**

 **Jk don't**

 **Unless you want to**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. Tajiri won't answer my phone calls.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Everyone's Big Adventure**

Route 5, Kalos Region (Dawn)

 _ **Ash's POV**_

I breathed in deeply, the crisp, cold air of the early morning stinging my nostrils. I exhaled through my mouth, feeling warm air leave my body. I continued this cycle for several minutes without opening my eyes. _Just keep going until I start to feel something._

I twitched a little bit as I felt Pikachu shift on my side, still fast asleep. I heard a grunt and I knew that Jayden had seen me. I adjusted myself slightly and restarted the cycle. In. And out.

"Good form. Just remember this isn't about being devoid of thought. It's about connecting with nature. Picture a tree that doesn't move. It doesn't do too much, but it's still a form of life and if you can identify with it, feel it, then you can do the same with any living being."

I didn't respond, but his words made me think. _How am I supposed to connect with a tree? Like I get that I'm not moving, but how does breathing in and out a bunch of times help me use aura?_ _Sounds like a bunch of shi-_

I heard Jayden grunt again, "I can read your thoughts, remember?" I mentally kicked sighed, "Go ahead and open your eyes." I did and blinked rapidly, adjusting to the sunrise's orange glow. "This exercise isn't about becoming the tree or some hippie shit like that. I need you to understand how you and the tree are connected. How you're both related. That tree is just as involved with aura as you or me."

I raised an eyebrow, "But it's just a tree? How does it use aura?"

Jayden exhaled and rubbed his chin, "Aura is the energy of life. Trees are alive, right?" I nodded. "Then trees use aura. They're also responsible for giving life to others, right? They make oxygen and nutrients." I nodded again. "So trees are also responsible for the exchange of aura. You and I use that oxygen and those nutrients to survive. Then we exhale carbon dioxide, which trees need."

I tilted my head, "So…we're not the same… but we're connected by the cycle of life? The cycle of aura?" Jayden grinned and nodded.

"That's it! Just picture that cycle. Be conscious about how you affect other organisms. Becoming aware of the aura in and around you is the first step towards becoming an Aura Guardian."

I nodded and closed my eyes, restarting my breathing exercises. _Okay, in and out. Connect with the tree. I am connected with the tree. The tree connects with aura. Aura connects with everything. Therefore, by the transitive property, I am connected with everything…Wow that was actually smart of me._

Several minutes passed, but I quickly felt a…a pang. Suddenly, I could picture the tree in front of me clear as day. I could see each and every leaf on it, each crack from age, each marking left by a Pokémon or careless human. Then I started experiencing things from the tree's point of view. I sensed countless organisms around it. Small bugs crawling down its surface, miniscule bacteria in the dirt beneath it. It was…beautiful.

But it was terrifying. I started seeing more and more. I saw eons pass by. Hundreds of years in a flash. A war fought when the tree was just a seed in the ground. A farmer taking his dead wife to the cemetery. A family of Vivillon taking their young to a new home. Sweat started pouring down like a waterfall. _It's too much! I'm losing who I am. What's my name? Where am I? How long have I been here? I've been sitting here for days! I gotta…I gotta snap out of it. How? Help! Someone help me!_

Then I felt a loud chime and my eyes popped open. Jayden was crouched in front of me, his finger on my forehead. He sat back when he saw me reawaken. Suddenly, I felt overwhelming exhaustion and I fell onto my back. "Ugh. How long was I out?"

He smirked, "About two minutes."

My eyes widened, "It felt so long! I thought I was there for weeks."

He smirked again, "Well everyone's first time is a bit rough. Don't worry; it gets better."

I raised an eyebrow, "Was that an innuendo?"

"I'm surprised you even know that's a word."

I sat up, only to feel a wave of nausea, "What…are you…implying?" I fell back down as I finished, my stomach about to empty itself. I closed my eyes, feeling the need to nap. Then something tapped my head. I turned and saw it was a brown bar of some sort.

"Eat this. It'll make you feel better."

I took the bar and started nibbling at it, before I devoured it at a savage pace. Within seconds, it was gone and my energy was restored. "Mmm. What was that?"

Jayden was scratching Pika's and Pikachu's heads, "Chocolate bar with bacon bits. Works every time." He stood up, "That was pretty impressive, how quickly you picked up on this. What you saw was essentially Aura Sense. Except it was a bit too focused. But we'll work on that in due time."

I rubbed my head, "I don't remember a lot about what I saw. But my head kinda hurts."

Jayden shrugged, "That'll go away. But I think that's enough training for today. What'dya say we go back to camp and get ready for the day?"

I nodded and proceeded to lead the way back to the encampment. The two of us and our partners exited the grassy clearing where we trained and soon stumbled onto a circle of six empty sleeping bags, around a fire and a picnic table where four teenagers were eating breakfast.

Brock put down his spoon and waved at us, "Hey you two. How was training?"

I responded while I walked to my set up, situated next to May's and Serena's. Then I sat down, rubbing Pikachu's head while he ate a few ketchup packets for breakfast.

I looked at May, who was playfully feeding up her new Litleo. He apparently liked May's bandana cuz it was tied around his head. I smiled, feeling a wave of warmth come over me when I saw her. I had been feeling that a lot recently, but I didn't really know what it was. I just knew I liked it. Whatever it was.

I heard snickering and turned to see Jayden looking at me. I turned red when he pointed at May and made a kissy face. I turned away in a huff, which only prompted more laughter. Sighing, I stripped off the admittedly grimy training gear and threw on my normal jeans, undershirt and zip-up shirt. Then I sat down next to May, gratefully accepting a bowl of oatmeal from Brock.

Jayden walked over, now wearing his khakis and white t-shirt, "So what's the plan for today? We're gonna hit Camphrier Town pretty fast, right?"

Brock tapped his head and pulled out his PokéGear, "It's only an hour from here so we're gonna have most of the day. Hmm…well there's a festival at a berry field on Route 7. I'd love to go there and try all the different ingredients."

Dawn looked up thoughtfully, "Ooh, I bet I could find something good to make poffins out of. We should go there."

Brock smiled and continued, "There's also some sort of battle institute called the Battle Chateau." Brock scrolled through the screen some more before looking at me with a smile, "Hey Ash, there's some sort of event today. Apparently the Cyllage City gym leader's gonna be there."

I perked up, a wave of excitement flooding my body, "Really? Awesome!" I turned to Pikachu, "That's our next battle, buddy!"

Pikachu pumped his fist, "Pi pikapi!"

Brock smiled and kept reading, "There's also something called Parfum Palace off Route 6. There's some sort of party there today, but there's not a whole lot of inform-"

Brock got cut short when Serena started squealing, "Yes yes yes yes yes! Parfum Palace! I've always wanted to go there!" She jumped up and started jumping around, Fennekin doing the same with a big grin.

We all sweatdropped and May responded, "I'm sure we can go there too."

Serena ran up to her and grabbed her hands. Fennekin placed her paws on Litleo's. Both trainer and Pokémon leaned back. "May…thank you for saying that." Anime tears fell from Serena's and Fennekin's eyes, much to everyone's chagrin.

Brock cleared the air after Serena sat back down, "Okay so where do we go? Berry field, Battle Chateau or Parfum Palace?" He shouldn't have said that.

Within microseconds, everyone was arguing back and forth about where to go. By everyone, I mean Serena, Dawn and I. May and Jayden sat back and watched, eating popcorn they magically conjured up. Brock somehow got in the middle of the table, screaming as everyone tore at him.

After a while, the now ragged and bruised Brock jumped out of the chaos, "Enough!" We all fell silent, mostly out of shock that his clothes were torn apart and not much was left to the imagination. "We are civilized people! We are going to settle this like adults! We're gonna put it to a vote! Democracy's the most civilized way to settle a debate."

Jayden muttered, "Clearly, Brock's never watched Congress."

Brock turned to Jayden, his head swelling to anime proportions, "Dammit Yagami! This is no time for political commentary! This is Pokémon fanfiction! A very serious matter is at stake!" Jayden threw up his hands in surrender and Brock turned back to us, "Now all for the berry festival."

Brock and Dawn raised their hands.

"All for the Battle Chateau."

May and I raised our hands.

"…Parfum Palace Party"

Jayden and Serena raised their hands. I turned to the former who shrugged, "Love me some alliteration."

Brock rubbed his brow, "Well that's great. A three-way tie. There's no way we're gonna do anything, is there?"

"We could just…you know…split up," Serena suggested.

Everyone looked taken aback at such a ridiculous notion, but slowly, everyone started nodding.

Brock grinned, "So then it's settled. Everybody goes where they wanna go and we meet back at Camphrier Town later tonight."

With that, Brock marched off to his backpack, rapidly packing up. After he finished, he turned to us and laughed, "Come on you guys! Hurry up!" We all sweatdropped once we realized that he had no clue about his tattered clothes.

I turned to everyone, but nobody seemed brave enough to do it. Then Dawn exhaled deeply and whispered in Brock's ear. His face turned bright red, he looked down, and then he squealed, running off behind a tree, covering as much bare skin as he could.

After he was decent again, Brock joined back with us as we all continued down Route 5.

* * *

Berry Fields, Kalos Region (Late Morning **)**

 _ **Dawn's POV**_

 _This is a freaking nightmare. Like…shit._ Brock and I were trapped between a thousand different people. We had old folks who went to every damn event in the area cuz they had nothing left in their lives, chefs who only purchased the most pretentiously priced ingredients from the most hipster farmers, and kids who got lost and couldn't find the exit.

I turned to Brock, "So what kind of festival is this anyways?"

He turned and rubbed his head, "Umm…I have no idea. Like I said, my PokéGear's really old. You know, outdated and stuff." I facepalmed and sighed. Brock threw his hands up in defense, "Hey, I'm sure there's something fun here! Like…uhhh" He frantically looked around the field before lighting up and pointing at a booth, "Look! A baking contest! How about it Dawn?"

I raised an eyebrow and looked at the sign: **SIGN UP FOR THE CAMPHRIER COOK OFF!** I shrugged and walked over with Brock in tow. I approached the guy in charge of the booth, "What's the prize for winning?"

He looked up from his phone, scratched his stubble-covered acne and replied in an extremely nasally voice, "A book of berry recipes by Kalos Queen Aria."

Brock and I raised our eyebrows and asked in unison, "Who?" The guy just pointed to a picture next to the sign-up clipboard. The girl in it had bright red hair and wore a Japanese business man's fantasy schoolgirl outfit.

I turned to Brock, who seemed completely dazzled by Aria, "She's perfect! How old is she?"

The guy didn't even look up, "Like 16."

Brock turned away and quickly remarked, "Ugh, too young."

I sweatdropped and started to walk away, "A stupid cookbook's not worth it."

Again, without looking up from his phone, the guy added, "Oh yea, there's a contest ribbon good for the Grand Festival too."

I stopped in my tracks, anticipating what was to come. _Oh boy. Please don't!_ But Brock said it anyways, "Hey Dawn! That's an easy ribbon for you to win. You gonna sign up?"

I looked at Brock and smiled weakly. _Dammit…I don't have an excuse to get me out of this. It's not a real contest, but I…I just…I don't know._ Against my better judgment, I nodded and quickly jotted my information on the clipboard and accepted a contestant number.

I sighed and followed Brock as he killed time before the competition at the various booths. All the while, I prepared myself for the ordeal, anxiety piercing every mental defense I struck up. _This is bad._

* * *

Route 6, Kalos Region (Late Morning)

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

 _Wow. I am surrounded by pure hormones. And that's coming from me._ Serena and I were stuck in line to enter the palace. Only problem, besides the long-as-shit line, was that everyone around us was a teenager gossiping about…something. I turned to Serena, who was watching Pika and Fennekin play on the ground, "What's going on today?"

Serena looked at me and tapped her chin, "Umm…I think it's someone's birthday, but I don't know whose."

I sighed, "Must be someone important. There's gotta be at least a thousand people."

Serena shrugged before smiling and pointing, "We're almost at the gate. And look; you can see the palace!"

I turned to where she was pointing and whistled. A massive castle with beige bricks and a royal blue roof stood beyond the golden gate in front of us. "Wow. That's a nice palace."

Serena nodded, hearts in her eyes, "It's just as perfect as I imagined! I can almost picture what it'd be like to live there. So many rooms to explore. Millions of different outfits to wear. Having thousands of servants cater to my every need." Serena started to laugh maniacally, causing Pika and I to sweatdrop. _This girl is nuts._

After a half hour or so, Serena and I found ourselves within a few feet of the entrance. A slight breeze carried over and we both nearly melted at the smell of food. "This party seems better and better by the minute," I whispered in delight.

Serena nodded before shrieking. Then I heard Fennekin yelp and Pikachu cry, "Pikachu!"

I turned with a start to see Pika's cheeks sparking, Fennekin and Serena hiding behind him, and a knocked out Honedge. The Pokémon definitely had the same scabbard as a normal Honedge, but he - I scanned him with my Aura Sense and it was a male – had a purple eye instead of a blue one. Similarly, the ribbon was red and purple, not blue and teal.

"Wow, a shiny Honedge!" I knelt and stared at the unconscious Pokémon, pulling out my Pokédex.

The holographic screen popped open and the device sounded off, "Honedge, the Sword Pokémon. If anyone dares to grab its hilt, it wraps a cloth around that person's arm and drains that person's life energy completely."

Serena gulped, hiding behind me, grabbing my arm in a panic, "Drain's their life energy?"

I chuckled at her reaction, "Relax. It's knocked out anyways. Plus, I'm sure I can handle a little swo-"

The Honedge suddenly dashed at me. I shrieked like a little girl – _Not my brightest hour_ – and threw the first thing I had in my pocket at it. Which was a Pokéball.

Honedge vanished in a flash of light and the ball began to rock back and forth. I held my breath in, but within a few seconds, I heard the triumphant beep. I stood there, taken aback by what just happened. Then I groaned, "Really? I can't catch the damn talking cat, but I can one-shot a freaking death sword?"

Serena giggled before kneeling down, grabbing the Pokéball and handing it to me, "Here you go!" I smiled and thanked her, pocketing the new addition to my team. _Well, this day may not be getting better, but it sure is getting more interesting._

After entering the gate, the two of us walked through the front of the palace, through the front door where ushers kept us moving along, and finally to the back gardens. Which were…wow.

"Holy shit." I said, my mouth agape at the sight of the large hedge maze. There were two massive fountains to my right and left, each with a Golurk statue in the middle. Serena and I crossed the bridge and whistled again when we saw the statues of Reshiram and Zekrom come into view.

"Woah! They're so huge!" Serena gasped at the assorted decorations. I on the other hand, caught sight of the snack table and made my there, Pika in tow. While I snacked on the meats and sweets, Pika attacked everything that resembled a French fry. We were there for a while and things got kinda brutal.

Not gonna lie, we lost some good men. I met a guy named Tony. Tony didn't make it.

Tony dropped his plate.

Tony's plate broke.

Tony broke.

I never saw him again.

"Umm…Jayden?" I turned to Serena, a noodle dangling from my mouth. She coughed and looked around nervously while I slurped and swallowed…That was not an innuendo.

"Yea, what's up?"

Serena shook her head and smiled at my adorable antics, "They're starting the ceremony."

I raised an eyebrow, "Ceremony? For what?"

She pointed to the palace balcony, where a royal guard stood on either end of a small girl with bright red hair. She couldn't have been older than 8 but every guy in the crowd was professing their love for her. And every girl was idolizing her. I could see Serena resisting the urge.

I panicked, grabbed her by the shoulders and smacked her, "Dammit Serena! Don't give in to the sensation! Don't become one of them!" I pointed to the females that begun praying to the princess, bowing up and down. Serena gulped at the sight and nodded, her eye's wide with fear.

I released her and sighed with relief. After that little stint, the two of us made our way to the seats in front of the balcony. After a few minutes, the sound of trumpets filled the air and everyone quieted down. A royal guard called loudly, "Announcing her royal highness, Princess Allie!"

The princess cleared her voice from the top of the balcony, "Ahem. Welcome peasants to my 15th birthday party." I did a double-take. _She is not 15. No way in hell!_ "You are all here to try and win my hand in marriage." I did another double-take, but then a guard whispered in her ear and she groaned, "Fine. You're here to win a tournament, not marry me." Almost every guy groaned.

I perked up however. "Did she say tournament?" Serena nodded, puzzled at my newfound excitement. "Oh man! I haven't had a good battle in weeks!"

The princess continued, "My servants will go amongst you and select the finest candidates, who they deem worthy of participating in such a prestigious competition." The guard next to her whispered something else. "Ugh, fine! You also need to have a partner, so if you don't, tough luck." Another whisper. "Are you kidding me? Ugh! Only 16 teams can participate."

As soon as she finished, most everybody swarmed the poor servants with the passes, which seemed to be gold necklaces with an obsidian tag with a number gilded on. There were two passes for each number from 1 to 16.

I cringed as the crowd around the servants grew and grew. However, the servants leapt free with practiced skill and grace. Then, they started throwing passes around with startling accuracy, each pair of passes landing around the neck of two participants.

I crossed my fingers, praying for all the luck in the world and just as I hoped, Serena and I had necklaces on all of a sudden. I grinned and examined the pass, "Alright! Ready to kick ass?"

I held up my hand in a high five, but Serena only twiddled her thumbs, "Uh, Jayden? I've never battled before." My mouth fell open and I looked at Fennekin who nodded sadly. I looked back at Serena. _Okay, this might be harder that I thought._

* * *

Battle Chateau, Kalos Region (Noon)

 _ **Ash's POV**_

"Alright Fletchling! Now finish him off with a Steel Wing!" I cried. Fletchling flapped his wings twice to gain altitude, before speeding off towards the enemy Swablu, wings glowing metallically. With a screech, Fletchling smacked the Swablu down to the ground and knocked it out.

The referee called, "Swablu is unable to battle, Fletchling wins! Thus the victor of the battle is Viscount Ash of Pallet Town!" The ref raised the green flag representing me and I cheered. The crowd clapped politely as I returned Fletchling to his Pokéball.

Upon entering the building, the owner explained the system of the Battle Chateau.

 ***FLASHBACK***

"Wow!" I remarked upon walking inside the Chateau. The building looked like a castle from the outside and the inside, with a large glass wall overlooking the circular battlefield and lake outside.

May nodded, "This place is insane! It's so big." She looked all around, "Everyone's dressed so nicely too." She looked down at her own clothes and at mine, "Do you think we're dressed okay?"

I smiled, "You always look good May. No need to worry!" _Oh great, now I sound like Dawn._

May's face turned red, but she smiled, "Thanks."

Out of nowhere, an old man with a silly accent jumped up, "Salutations neophytes! Welcome to the Battle Chateau!"

I fell back, startled, causing Pikachu to fall of my shoulders. May helped me up with a concerned look on her face, but I just stared at the teleporting elderly fellow.

"May I inquire as to what rank you possess?"

I sweatdropped, completely confused. May noticed this and translated, "He wants to know what rank we have."

I nodded in understanding, "Umm…we don't have ranks yet."

The old man stood silently for a moment before getting way too close to my face, "Young man, do you mean to insinuate that you. Do not. Possess. A rank?" I took a second to think about what he said before nodding, Pikachu doing the same. The old man got even closer before he fell back laughing, "Well that's embarrassing! It's so rare to see a newcomer these days. Never mind two at the same time! Anyways, you may refer to me as Rockford Moneypants. And I am the owner of this fine establishment."

I sweatdropped at his name. _Moneypants? Trainer Jayden must really be running out of ideas._

Rockford cleared his throat, "Anyways, allow me to explain how we do things at the Chateau. Normally my grandson, Cash, would do it, but he's off Arceus knows where."

I sweatdropped. _Cash Moneypants? The hell?_

"To become a member, you must defeat another member here. Doing so will award you the title of Baron or Baroness. To advance to the next level of Viscount or Viscountess, defeat 2 members of the same rank or higher. For each level of advancement, you must win 2 times as many battles. Have I explained things sufficiently?"

May and I nodded and Rockford let us go find battles.

 ***END FLASHBACK***

 _I already became a Viscount and I won three more battles. So then I'm only…1 away from becoming an Earl! Oh man, I can't wait!_ I turned to Pikachu on my shoulder, "You excited buddy?" Pikachu grinned and nodded.

I went back inside the building only to hear a slow clap from someone behind me. I turned and saw that it was a tall, skinny man with dark skin and voluminous hair, "That was an excellent battle. I've only seen a few Pokémon use Steel Wing so effectively."

I rubbed the back of my head, "Aww. Thanks. I've been doing a lot of special training with him for my next gym battle."

The main raised his eyebrows, "Oh. You're gonna enter the Kalos League?"

I nodded, "Yup! And I'm gonna win, starting with my battle at the Cyllage Gym!"

The man looked taken aback, but he soon smirked, "Well then, I look forward to battling you."

I was dumbfounded, "Wait, what're you saying?"

He laughed, "Sorry if I was a little cryptic. My name's Grant and I'm the Cyllage City Gym Leader." He held out his hand and I shook it, a smile on my face.

"Will you battle me?" I asked, with pleading eyes.

He sweatdropped, but regained his composure, "Well, right now you're a what, a Viscount?" I nodded. Grant smirked, "Well I'm an Earl right now so battling you wouldn't really do me much good, now would it? Tell you what, if you can become an Earl before today's over, I'll battle you. Sound fair?"

I nodded and took off to find someone to battle. _Just one more win! Just one more!_ Then I bumped into May. "Hey, am I glad to see you! You free to battle?" She nodded, surprised at my speed, but she led me to a battlefield regardless.

The referee took the middle while I took the green side, May on the red, "The battle between…" I zoned out as I thought of strategies. _Okay. So she'll probably lead in with Blaziken. Or maybe…Glaceon? Nah I bet she'll go with Beautifly. Or maybe-_

"Ash!" May called. I snapped back to reality to see that she already released her Litleo on the field. I blushed and rubbed my head sheepishly before calling out Froakie. "Alright Litleo, use Ember!"

The small cub released a spray of orange particles at Froakie. "Use your Frubbles to defend!"

Froakie nodded, quickly building a wall made of the white bubbles around his neck. The wall held fast, successfully protecting Froakie from the attack.

 _Now's my chance!_ "Water Pulse, go!"

Froakie leaped over the Frubble wall, formed a sphere of blue energy, and threw it directly at Litleo. The small lion tried to run away from it, but the Water Pulse collided with the ground, causing a wave to ripple out, throwing Litleo back.

"Are you okay Litleo?" May asked with concern. Litleo struggled to get up, but nodded with a growl. "Nice! Let's try to slow him down with Incinerate!"

Litleo's mouth released a rapid burst of fire. The aim was off however and it landed several feet away from Froakie. Then the blast exploded out, dealing a fair amount of damage to Froakie and burning his knee.

"Froakie! Oh no!" _Think Ketchum, think!_ I watched Litleo move around and how Froakie had to hobble. _How can I turn this around?_ Then I had an idea. "Froakie, throw Frubbles at Litleo!"

Froakie threw a scattershot of small bubbles, a few of which stuck to Litleo's legs, trapping him on the ground.

"Oh no! Try to break out with Bite!" Litleo tried to bite the Frubbles apart, but they merely squished and shifted in place. Some even stuck to his jaw, trapping his head on his leg.

"Now's your chance Froakie! Water Pulse!" Froakie formed a blue sphere and threw it, crashing into Litleo and knocking the fire-type out.

"Litleo is unable to battle, Froakie wins. Thus the victory and the title of Earl goes to Viscount Ash of Pallet Town!" the referee declared.

I walked up to May and high-fived her, "Nice battling! I must've taught you pretty well."

She giggled and playfully punched my arm, "Don't get cocky on me Ketchum. I didn't learn _everything_ from you."

I rolled my eyes, "Psh. Yea right." We laughed together before I remembered that I could now battle Grant. With that, I ran off towards the gym leader…wherever he was.

* * *

Berry Fields, Kalos Region (Noon)

 _ **Dawn's POV**_

I rolled my eyes at the competition I was up against. _Please, I can handle a bunch of rookies like these guys. I mean, what kind of name is Miette? Sounds like what Mom's Glameow says when she throws up a hair ball._

I continued slicing the Pecha berries I was given, making even cuts along the fruit. After they were sliced, I moved on to the Tamato berries. Then I took half of each type of berry, made them into a paste, and mixed them together. I tasted it with my pinky and nodded at the even blend of spicy and sweet.

Then I filled each cake with the filling, covered it with whipped cream and started finishing them off with sliced berries on top. _This is almost too easy._ I saw Brock and waved to him. Then I caught a flash of purple hair and I suddenly seized up. My eyes went wide.

"You'll never be a good coordinator!" I heard his voice and I began to tremble.

"You're an embarrassment to contests and the human race!" I clenched my fist, beads of sweat forming on my forehead.

Piplup stopped snacking on a Pecha berry and nuzzled my leg, trying to get a reaction out of me. But I ignored him, too engrossed in the memories.

"So much for being the Top Coordinator. I guess Mommy's talent didn't rub off as much as you thought." I couldn't stop shaking. I heard some people whisper about me in the audience and the emcee called for three minutes left on the clock.

 _Stop. Please. Just stop._ But my pleas went unheard. Instead I heard his voice one last time, "You sure you don't want some more…hands on help? I bet I could make you more _appealing_." I felt his fingers down my back and I threw my arms out, the cut berries flying off the table.

I suddenly snapped back to reality and realized almost everybody was looking at me. Flushing, I wiped the sweat off my head and quickly cut more berries, maybe not as evenly as I would've liked. The emcee called time right as I finished decorating the cakes. The audience clapped as all the participants carried their treats to the judging table. I dropped off the cakes and walked back to my station on the stage.

I sighed, falling to my knees. _That was so…vivid. I can't believe I still haven't been able to move past it._ Piplup trotted over to me, a Pecha berry in his beak. He dropped it into my hand and nuzzled my head. I smiled at him and gratefully ate the sweet berry, feeling warmth seep into me.

I stood up and waited for a few minutes as the judges tasted and discussed. Finally, the emcee came back on stage with an envelope, "Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm Camphrier Town round of applause for this year's Berry Queen, Miss Dawn Berlitz!"

I sighed with relief as the crowd clapped for me. Brock looked at me with a grin and flashed a thumbs up. I waved back to him before accepting the crown from the emcee, as well as a ribbon. The crown was really just a band made out of tied branches and vines and topped with an assortment of colorful berries. The ribbon was pink with a metal Oran berry for a charm.

I walked off the stage and to Brock who smiled at me, "Congratulations Dawn! That was well earned.

I smiled, "Thanks Brock. I'm honestly glad we came to this festival." I heard my stomach grumble, "Uh, why don't we get some food?" If only I knew how much I would come to regret that question.

* * *

Parfum Palace, Kalos Region (Early Afternoon)

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

"You're gonna do just fine, don't worry." _Well, we are boned._

"I have the utmost faith in you, Serena." _You are the weakest link. Goodbye._

"I believe in you." _You are going to be the death of me, and not in the fun way that The Weeknd talks about._

"Together, we can win any battle." _We are going to eat a massive pile of dicks._

Serena nodded, her face filled with uncertainty, "Are you sure we got this? I feel like I'm just gonna drag us down."

I waved my hand, "Relax. You'll do fine. Battling's not that hard anyways." _It it an incredibly complicated, difficult and thought-provoking activity and you have absolutely no experience in it. Your unconfidence is both well justified and necessitated._

We had already survived our first two battles, which was a little difficult considering she had no idea what she was doing. But a little luck and strategy on my part and Riolu snagged the win twice. Only barely.

Serena and I walked to our second battle, set in between the two hedges furthest from the castle. One of the servants walked up to the middle of the makeshift field, "Alright, this will be a double battle between the team of Jayden and Serena and the team of Anderson and Bill. Each participant is allowed one Pokémon and the battle is over when both Pokémon of any team is unable to battle. Begin!"

"Fennekin, I choose you!" Serena pointed at the battlefield and Fennekin ran from her side to the ready position.

"Metang, you're up!" Anderson tossed a Pokéball, revealing a floating blue robot with red eyes and two clawed arms.

"Braviary, you're up." Bill released his multi-colored flying-type in a flash of light.

"Alright, Pika, you're u-" I felt a Pokéball shake in my pocket. I raised an eyebrow, "You sure?" The ball shook again and I grinned. I turned to Serena, "You know what? This battle's gonna be pretty easy after all!" She looked confused, but I smirked, "Grovyle, let's go!" My green gecko materialized and practically roared his name.

Serena looked amazed, "Wow. He's so powerful."

I nodded, "Grovyle's my strongest Pokémon. And I have a lot of those."

Anderson smirked, "Yea, whatever man. Metang, use Hyper Beam on Grovyle."

"Braviary, Giga Impact on Fennekin!"

Metang formed a dark purple sphere in his claws and fired a powerful beam at Grovyle. Braviary surrounded itself in a purple energy with orange spirals and took off towards Fennekin.

"Go." I commanded. Grovyle vanished in a blinding display of speed, causing the Hyper Beam to crash into empty ground. He then appeared above Braviary. "Energy Ball." Grovyle formed a sphere of green energy and sent it crashing towards the ground, only a few feet in front of Fennekin. The latter jumped back at the dust cloud Braviary's impact caused, afraid to dirty her coat.

Anderson's mouth was open, "Woah. Didn't see that coming."

I grinned, "Yea, no shit. Grovyle, Brick Break. Then use Leaf Blade."

Grovyle dashed toward Metang and struck it down with a glowing arm. He then sped toward Braviary and slashed at it with it's glowing arm blades. He finally appeared in front of Fennekin again, protecting her from the other Pokémon. Of course, that was pointless because they were both out cold. Duh.

"Braviary and Metang are both unable to battle. The victory goes to the team of Jayden and Serena!" The crowd whooped for us while Anderson and Bill reluctantly gave up their passes to the servant.

Grovyle walked over and I rubbed his head, "Good work, buddy. Glad to see you haven't lost your edge." Grovyle turned with a proud huff and went off to get some candy, probably from a baby.

Serena walked over, Fennekin in her arms, "That was awesome! I had no idea Grovyle could even move that fast!"

I smiled, "Yea he's pretty proud of his speed. We've worked hard on it over the years." I checked the screen under the palace balcony that displayed the teams still competing. "Looks like we're going to the finals. It's gonna be on the bridge by the Reshiram statue."

We walked over to the side closest to the garden and waited. Then I heard footsteps behind us. Loud. Obnoxious. Snobby. These footsteps were characteristic of Micropenis syndrome. AKA having too much money from daddy. I turned and saw the afflicted gentleman. He had bright blonde hair, pale skin and bright blue eyes. He wore a clean white suit, white shirt, white pants, white shoes and a white tie. Even the flower in his breast pocket was pure white.

He flipped his hair and stuck his hand out, "Hello there, peasants. My name is Cash. Cash Money. You may refer to me as Mr. Money or Mr. Cash. Am I clear?" Serena and I looked at him, then at each other, then back at him. Then I grabbed his extended hand and crushed it.

Well I cracked it. Barely. But he screamed and ran to the other end of the bridge, where a tired-looking woman examined it before shaking her head and walking away, much to _Mr. Money's_ chagrin.

His partner walked up in camo pants and a blue t-shirt with a yellow lightning bolt on the front looked amused at my actions, "Nice job. Haven't seen him freak out like that since his Furfrou got fur on his suit. I'm Abel. Abel Winchine."

I shook his hand, "I'm Jayden. This is my partner, Pika." I gestured to the Pikachu on my shoulder who waved.

Serena greeted him next, "I'm Serena. This is Fennekin." Fennekin yapped cutely at Abel from Serena's arms.

Abel smiled and opened his mouth before Cash called at him, "ABEL! GET OVER HERE!"

Abel sighed, "Sorry, but Moneypants calls. And before you ask, yes that's his real last name."

Serena and I sucked air through our teeth trying not to burst out laughing, but we couldn't do it and the whole palace garden heard our cackling. But we stopped once the referee gave us dirty looks.

"Today's final round will be a double battle between the team of Abel and Cash-"

Cash chimed in, "It's actually Cash and Abe- ow!" He rubbed his shoulder where his frustrated partner punched him.

The ref cleared his throat, "As I was saying, this is a battle between the team of Abel and Cash," another punching sound, "and the team of Serena and Jayden. Each participant is permitted one Pokémon and the battle is over when either side has no usable Pokémon. Begin!"

"Pika, you're up!" Pika hopped off my shoulder and onto the battlefield.

"Fennekin, I choose you!" Fennekin jumped from Serena's arms right next to Pika.

"Furfrou, show these ruffians how us classy folk do it." An extremely emasculated Furfrou in a pink dress appeared and silently screamed 'kill me now' with his eyes.

"Minun, try not to kill Cash." Abel's partner appeared in a flash and started sparking at the sight of the rich jackass.

I turned to Serena and whispered, "Does anybody like this guy?" She shrugged. I rolled my eyes and refocused on the battle, "Pika, use Quick Attack on Minun!"

Pika took off and slammed into the smaller beige and blue electric-type.

Abel grinned, "Not bad, but we can do better. Use Thunder!"

Minun jumped into the air and called down a lightning bolt with incredible power. It struck Pika head on…but nothing happened.

I grinned, "Lightning Rod's a bitch, ain't it?"

Abel looked taken aback, "Well that's not good. But I'll be nice and tell you that Minun has Volt Absorb for a special ability. So good luck with trying anything funny."

I raised my hands up in defense, "Me? I would never." I gestured to Serena, "Now she, I can't speak for." I waited awkwardly for a few seconds before urgently whispering to her, "That was a cue for you to attack."

She looked at me with an incredulous expression, "How am I supposed to know that?"

I threw up my hands, "You just are, okay? It would've been really cool."

"Well then I'll do it now, god."

I waved my hand, "No, no, don't. It's too late now. Just do whatever you want."

She shook her head in frustration, "Fennekin, use Ember." The small fox exhaled a cloud of orange embers at Minun, which the Cheer Pokémon gracefully dodged.

"Excellent work Minun! Now use Metronome!" Minun's eyes went blank and his fingers glowed. He danced back and forth before finally slamming the ground with his hand. The bridge we were battling on shook violently, the water around it sloshing violently.

"He used Earthquake!" I called, "Pika, pick up Fennekin and jump high."

Pika avoided the rocks flying up, seized the small fox and jumped high in the sky, avoiding most of the damage. He then landed back down and sighed in relief.

"Thanks Pika! Now let's repay the favor with Ember!" Serena's eye glinted with determination and I smiled, happy she seemed to be enjoying herself.

Fennekin's mouth opened wide. But instead of a cloud of embers, a steady stream of fire came out, rocketing towards Minun and causing major damage to the Electric-type. Minun flew back, a few burns causing a lot of pain for the small Pokémon.

"Minun, oh no!" Abel exclaimed with worry. I suddenly felt a pang, sensing the overwhelming bond between those two. A bond deeper than most I ever knew. One of true equals. Brothers.

Serena looked at Fennekin with shock and wonder, "Wow! That was amazing Fennekin! You learned Flamethrower!" Fennekin cooed happily and danced around with joy.

"Hyper Beam, let's end this!" I turned to see Minun release a powerful black and purple beam. And it was headed straight for the distracted Fennekin.

"Protect Fennekin!" Pika leaped in front of the fox, surprising her, and roared while forming a large green protective bubble around them both. The Hyper Beam collided with the Protect, straining Pika's willpower to its limit. But the shield held strong and the beam dissipated. Pika fell to the ground, momentarily exhausted.

Fennekin looked at him with worry, licking some of the scrapes he sustained. Pika weakly looked at me and flashed a thumbs up. I did the same, proud of my partner.

Serena turned to me with a look of pure relief, "Thanks for that save. Both of you," she added, looking at Pika, who just flashed a peace sign.

I turned to Minun who finally collapsed from the burns and was recalled by Abel, "Good job bro. Now take a good rest." Abel turned to Cash and sighed; Cash was yelling commands at Furfrou, who held his head up and refused to listen.

"Furfrou, use Roar of Time! Use Judgment! Aeroblast! Do something, you lazy bum!"

"Umm…" Serena looked at me, unsure of what to do. I just gestured for her to attack and she shrugged, "Fennekin, use…Scratch. But be nice about it," Serena added. Fennekin looked at her trainer with confusion, but walked to Furfrou and scratched…the air…about ten feet away from the actual Pokémon. Furfrou then laid down and pretended to be unconscious.

Everyone burst out laughing at Cash's expense and the referee had to declare us the winners through fits of giggles. Cash recalled his Pokémon and stormed off, as did Abel after a quick goodbye.

Serena turned to me, her face filled with joy, "We actually did it! We actually won!" I grinned and high-fived her. _Maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be._ Then I heard the trumpets. _There goes my good mood._

Princess Allie then appeared on the other end of the bridge, being carried by a particularly miserable looking old servant. The two servants on her side carried one box each, as well as a bag on top of the box.

Allie stopped in front of us, clapped and was let down. She dusted herself off and clapped again. The servants with the boxes and bags handed them off to Serena and I.

"Congratulations on winning the Parfum Palace World Cup." _World Cup? You only let 32 people participate._ "For your skill and aptitude, you will be rewarded with a bag of the finest sweets my cook has to offer."

Grovyle zipped by, snatched the bag out of my hand and went off to devour it somewhere. _I really need to put him on a diet or some shit like that._

Allie continued, "You are also to be given a single Pokémon egg from the Royal Stables." Serena and I gasped and looked inside the boxes. Sure enough, there was an egg in each, both brown with white stripes. "Your likenesses and those of your Pokémon will be recorded and placed into the Royal Garden to serve as a reminder for all of the true skills required of a Pokémon Trainer – or until I get rid of it." Allie mumbled that last part.

She then turned to me, "Also, for your particular aptitude, I shall reward you with a date. Right now." Allie clapped her hand and suddenly, the two servants that carried the boxes were carrying me.

I sweatdropped. _Oh god no. Please get me a way out of here._ "Why don't you just do anything besides that?"

Allie raised an eyebrow and suddenly looked very fearsome, "Are you saying you don't wanna go out with me?"

I looked around for help before swallowing my fear, "Yes. That is exactly what I am insinuating."

I waited for retribution, but Allie just looked at me, "Nobody's ever talked to me like that before…I must have you. Immediately."

All color left my skin. Pika started rolling on the ground, laughing uncontrollably. Serena just looked horrified. _Think Yagami. You've fought demons worse than this. You can handle some lying-about-her-age bitch._ "How about a battle? If I win, you let me go. If you win, you can… _have me_." I shuddered upon saying that last part and almost vomited.

Allie tapped her chin in thought before nodding, gesturing for her servants to let go of me. I took one side of the field and cracked my knuckles. I silently prayed while she took the other side and was handed a bedazzled Pokéball by her servant.

Serena came up to me, "So which Pokemon are you gonna use?"

I answered without thinking, "Riolu."

She raised an eyebrow, "Won't he be exhausted? I mean, he battled twice without stopping. And he took some good hits."

I shrugged, "Grovyle. He'll be quick." Then I realized he was off giving himself diabetes. "Okay…Pika?"

Serena shook her head and pointed to the laughing, but visibly exhausted electric-type.

I sighed, "I have to use Honedge, don't I?" Serena nodded and wished me luck.

Allie smirked, "I am going to rock your world later." It took all my strength not to vomit. "Go Sylveon!" In a flash, the pink fox appeared and danced around.

I pulled out my Pokédex, "Sylveon, the Intertwining Pokémon and an evolved form of Eevee. Sylveon affectionately wraps its ribbon-like feelers around its trainer's arms as they walk together." _A fairy-type? Hmm…Honedge might not be too bad after all._

"Honedge, let's go!" In a flash, the shiny Sword Pokémon appeared and removed his sheath with the ribbon. "Honedge, use-"

Allie screamed, "Wait! You have to let me go first! I'm the princess."

I groaned, but nodded. Allie smirked, "Sylveon, use Attract!" Sylveon winked and released a string of pink hearts from it's eye. The hearts circled around Honedge before fizzing out.

I facepalmed, "Your Sylveon's a dude…that just seems wrong. Anyway, Honedge, use…wait…what the hell do you even know?" I pulled out my Pokédex again and scanned him for moves, "Hmm…nice. Nice…yea that's good. Use Gyro Ball!"

Honedge spun rapidly on a vertical axis, the extended ribbon and pointed tip forming a top shape. He then took off towards Sylveon. Allie's face was overcome with fear at the speed of my indestructible force of nature. I cackled with glee, excited to be free. Then Honedge stopped short of completing the attack and fell down, unconscious due to dizziness.

I stared at Honedge and then back at Allie. Then down at Honedge and back at Allie. Then I quickly recalled Honedge, yelled at Grovyle to grab my new Pokémon Egg, scooped up Serena bridal style and took off.

"What're you doing?" she screamed as I ran out of the palace with her in my arms.

"Not getting my world rocked. At least not by her."

Behind me, I could hear Grovyle panting to keep up, weighed down by the egg in his arms and the full bag of sweets in his stomach. Further back, I could hear Allie shrieking for the guards to get me, as well as hundreds of fanboys storming after me for rejecting their 'beloved' princess.

* * *

Battle Chateau, Kalos Region (Afternoon)

 _ **Ash's POV**_

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail to knock those rocks out of the way!" Pikachu jumped high up and slammed the falling stones away from him. However, some fragmented and struck him anyways.

Grant smirked, "Nice try Ash. But how about I show you a real Iron Tail? Onix, go for it." The rock snake's tail glowed metallically and quickly flicked, slamming Pikachu in the the ground. A dust cloud rose and when it cleared, Pikachu was struggling to get up.

"Pikachu, are you okay?" Pikachu carefully stood up and nodded with a growl, "Alright buddy! Then let's finish this up with a spinning Iron Tail!"

Pika took off as fast as he could. As Onix tried to stop him, Pikachu jumped and spun, effectively navigating around the rock-type. He then climbed along Onix's back before spinning once more. Pikachu then channeled the extra torque into a powerful Iron Tail, knocking Onix to the side.

"One more time, Iron Tail!" Pikachu pivoted in mid-air and slammed down on Onix's head again, sending the snake into the ground and knocking it out.

The referee raised my green flag, "Onix is unable to battle, Pikachu wins. Thus the victory goes to Earl Ash of Pallet Town."

I cheered and enveloped Pikachu in a big hug, "Yes! We won!"

Grant walked over, "That was an impressive battle Ash. I'm looking forward to our official battle at the Cyllage Gym."

I suddenly stopped moving, "Wait…that wasn't…official?"

Grant sweatdropped, but he shook his head, "Uhhh…no. Sorry."

I started blubbering, "I don't have a badge? Why? Why? It's not fair!" While I pounded the ground in a temper tantrum, Grant silently excused himself.

May walked over, "Come on Ash. I'm sorry you didn't get your badge, but you won. That's something to celebrate, right?"

I stopped wailing, jumped up and dusted myself off, "Yea, I guess. I kinda wanna leave. How about you?"

May nodded and smiled, "Yea. Let's go get some food."

On my way out, I bumped past someone, knocking the fedora off his head. I bent to pick it up, "Sorry about that. My name's Ash."

I handed it back to him. He wore a red shirt, blue shorts and brown boots. His hat was red with a black stripe running across. He dusted it off and placed it back on his head, "It's fine, I guess. I'm Zack."

Then Zack walked away, without even shaking my hand. If anything, he seemed anxious to get away. I turned to May and shrugged, "That was weird."

She nodded and we continued leaving the Chateau and then Route 7. May turned to me as we reentered Camphrier Town. She begun to imitate Rockford's silly accent, "My dearest Earl Ash, may I inquire as to what you desire in regards to your scheduled evening consumption?"

I laughed, "Of course, my dearest…Hey, what's your rank? I guess I didn't hear it before."

May shrugged, "I'm a Duchess." I fell anime-style and she turned, "What? It wasn't _that_ hard."

I got up and nursed my shattered pride. She laughed and rubbed my back while we walked toward the Pokémon Center. The second we walked in, we knew something was up: Brock and Dawn were collapsed on a couch, their mouths covered in berry juice and their stomachs very full. Serena was adjusted her clothes and muttering about being carried or something. Jayden was hiding behind Nurse Joy's desk, scanning the area with untold ferocity and determination. He also had a red sword in his hand.

Then the sword blinked.

 _What the hell is going on?_ I repeated my thought aloud and Serena quickly explained how Dawn and Brock ate too many berries after Dawn won a contest. Then Serena recounted how she and Jayden got chased out by an angry mob.

I stood dumbfounded for a while before speaking, "Looks like we all had an interesting day."

Jayden yelled, "Quiet Ash! I'm trying to find her. She's out there somewhere. And she's coming. When she does, Honedge and I are going to end this once and for all!" He raised his sword above his head, causing the ribbon to wrap around his arm. Jayden took one look at the ribbon and shrieked, "No! MY LIFE FORCE!"

* * *

Route 7, Kalos Region (Midmorning)

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

 _Well…yesterday was definitely not my best day._ After everyone took a well-needed rest, we all decided to head towards Cyllage City so Ash could get his second badge. Only one problem.

"The cave is…closed?!" Ash practically sobbed. Brock patted his shoulder and pulled out his PokéGear. But everyone had had enough of that outdated piece of shit. Next thing you know, I was hacking it apart with Honedge while everyone else cheered.

May whipped out a PokéNav, "Now then. We can take Route 8 through Ambrette Town to Cyllage City, but it'll be a bit longer. Positive side: there's a beach and a museum."

Ash was still sobbing so everyone else voted and it was unanimous. My hand shot up the second I heard 'beach.' Basic math: beach = swimsuits and swimsuits = women. Therefore, the transitive property tells us that beach = women.

I started grinning from the thought before I heard Ash mutter, "Transitive property?" I turned to him, surprised, and nodded. He nodded back, "Works every time."

* * *

 **Bam! Longest chapter ever! Wooooo!**

 **It was almost entirely filler. There was some character development tho. So your welcome.**

 **Thanks to…Guest…seriously?...**

 **Thanks to Guest (ugh) and Frankenstrike for the OC's. Any of you can also drop an OC and I'll be really happy to use them. You can leave them in a** _ **review**_ ***hint hint* or in a PM.**

 **Anyways, please remember to review. And if you liked it, favorite or follow AiWU cuz I will love you forever.**

 **K bye**

 **Dodododododododo review! (Tobuscus!...anyone?...is he still relevant?)**


	10. Jayden and the Terrible, Too Long Title

**So there's a few things that are happening so I'll just address them all right now. Feel free to skip this A.N. if you want, but I'll be explaining a few things you may have noticed.**

 **Title change:** **So you probably noticed I changed the title, especially if you're following me and/or the story and got a notification for something you've never heard of. The reason I changed the title from "Aura is What Unites" to "Hope of the Guardians" is because I felt like the latter was more reflective of the story and the directions I'm going with it. I like the first title though, so it's now part of my description.**

 **Updates** : **I didn't update as fast as normal due to a family issue. I won't go too in depth, but I lost a relative and I've been dealing with that. However, it made me realize that I should be grateful for what I have, which ties into my next point.**

 **You all** : **I am so incredibly thankful to each and every one of you who takes the time to read my story, maybe laugh at it, and leave a review. Hearing your kind words or even your criticism just blows my mind because it means someone enjoyed my story enough to write down actual opinions about it. So from now on, I'll be thanking everyone who posts a review for me either via PM or in the A.N. if you don't have an account.**

 **Thank you to:**

Guest (several)

Pokefan1998

Kira

Hello

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. No shit.**

 **Chapter 10: Jayden and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day**

Route 9, Kalos Region (Morning)

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

It had been a few days after we got onto Route 8 towards Ambrette Town. After we arrived, we decided to check out the Glittering Cave off Route 9. Unfortunately, the terrain was rocky and uneven, so we had to ride on Rhyhorn. To make it all worse, I got stuck with the Rhyhorn with…problems.

 _This is easily the worst part of the entire trip. No question of it. I am done with this shit. No way._

I groaned again as my Rhyhorn violently ripped one, filling the ambient air with a gas so horrible, even Dawn's frying pan melted in her backpack. My eyes watered and I turned to my friends, begging for help. But they quickened their pace, leaving me stranded.

 _Great. Now I'm alone._ Pika shocked me, apparently conscious of my thoughts. _Okay, sorry. I'm alone except for Pika._ He was sitting directly in front of me, using my shadow to block the sun's rays.

Oh, did I not mention it was scorching hot? Cuz it was scorching hot. I called ahead, shaking my head of the scent of Rhyhorn methane, "Hey May, how much further?"

She pulled out her PokéNav and replied, "It should only be a few minutes away. Then we can ditch that Rhyhorn."

Brock turned to her quizzically, "Don't you mean _those_ Rhyhorn?" But May shook her head and pointed at my Rhyhorn who let another one rip on cue. Brock shuddered and nodded in agreement.

I groaned and buried my face in my beanie. _What have I done to deserve this? Well…actually, a lot of things._

After what seemed like several eternities, we reached an even stretch of land next to a cave entrance. I stepped off my Rhyhorn and as he walked away, I laughed, "Finally! Free of that disgusting thing!"

Apparently Rhyhorn have great hearing because he stopped in his tracks, turned around and glared at me with death in his eyes. I could feel my companions step back and I started to sweat nervously. _Uh oh._

Rhyhorn started to charge at me so I threw a Pokeball into the air, "Honedge, pull a Mutombo and block this shot!" In a flash, my not-so-trusty red steel-type appeared in front of the charging Rhyhorn, stopping the onslaught in a sonorous _clang_.

Rhyhorn fell back, rubbing his injured horn on the ground. Honedge vibrated in midair, emitting a loud ring. He then fell back, completely unconscious and I could see a bad scratch where Rhyhorn hit him.

I groaned as I recalled him, "Sorry Honedge." I turned back to my friends and smiled, "Well now that that's out of the way, who wants to go explore a damp, dark crevice on a painfully hot day?"

 _ **May's POV**_

 _It's official. This is the greatest place I've ever been._ The walls of the cave were lined with crystals. Thousands of crystals. More crystals than I could count. Everyone was amazed. Even Jayden stopped being a snarky little shit to admire the scenery.

"This is awesome!" Ash exclaimed, running his hands along the walls. Pikachu nodded in agreement, doing the same thing with his tail.

"I've never seen a geological formation like this before! These crystals look amazing. Almost like diamonds." Brock said, smiling.

Jayden grinned, "This is pretty cool. Not gonna lie. Almost makes that whole Rhyhorn incident worth it." We all chuckled at the mention of the fiasco. Jayden continued, "I mean it! I mean, Rhyhorn flatulence is terrible and all, but I'd take that any day if it meant I could see this ca-"

Jayden was cut short when he tripped over something and fell on his face. We all started howling with laughter while he screamed assorted profanities into the ground. Ash helped him up and dusted him off before gazing at what he ran into.

I peered over Ash's shoulder, "It's a backpack."

Dawn peered over Jayden's shoulder, "It's a briefcase."

I turned to Dawn, "No, it's a backpack."

She turned to me, an angry look in her eyes, "No May. It's a briefcase!"

I narrowed my eyes, "Backpack."

"Briefcase."

"Backpack."

"Briefcase."

"Backpack."

"Briefcase."

"Backpack."

"Briefcase."

I smiled, "Briefcase."

Dawn didn't even hesitate, "Backpack." Then she realized what she said and tried to run me over. I did the same. The only things stopping us from killing one another was Jayden and Ash's terrified, albeit strong, grips.

Brock peered over all of us, "I think it's a satchel." Dawn and I shut up, pondered momentarily, and slowly nodded accepting this mutual term.

Serena just sweatdropped and picked up the bag, "It's pretty heavy." She opened it and raised her eyebrow, "It's just a bunch of rocks." She dumped the contents out of the bag to prove her point.

Three rocks fell out, each engraved with strange patterns. One had an imprint of teeth and appeared almost silvery. One was brown and had a spiral pattern. The final one was green and had a wavy, sail-like imprint.

Brock looked close and smiled, "These aren't stones; they're fossils!"

Jayden suddenly perked up, "Really? Actual Pokémon fossils?"

Brock raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I didn't know you were into archaeology."

Jayden scoffed, "Please, archaeology is boring as hell. I just like reanimating them."

Brock sweatdropped before putting the fossils back in the bag, "These belong to someone so we should try to find them."

Jayden reached for the bag, "Or we could sell them for lots of money and buy stuff."

Brock's eye-slits widened and he ran off while carrying the bag, Jayden close behind.

We all sweatdropped and Serena asked, "They know where they're going? I mean, May has the map." Two loud thuds down the tunnel answered the question for her and we all continued down, shaking our heads at out choice in friends.

After Brock and Jayden dusted themselves off, everyone decided to keep exploring the cave and try to find the fossils' owner. Of course, Jayden mumbled some rude stuff under his breath, but Pika would zap him every so often so it was all good.

Soon enough, we entered a large cavern where several massive crystals on the roof lit up the entire room. We could see stalactites and stalagmites everywhere, each one glistening with small crystal fragments.

"Woah. Didn't see that coming." Jayden remarked, whistling in awe.

Serena nodded, "I never even knew there were places like this in Kalos!"

A voice called out from behind a mound of rocks, "Hello? Who's there? If you're with the government, go away!"

We looked at each other quizzically before I responded, "Uh…we're just some kids out exploring these caves."

An old man with a head wrapped in a tin foil turban poked his head out from behind the rock pile, "Well, beat it! I don't want you nonbelievers prowling around my kingdom." He gestured to the entirety of the cavern.

Jayden whispered into my ear, "His _kingdom_?" I shrugged in response.

Brock sweatdropped and walked forward, "Um, we found a bag nearby. It had a bunch of fossils. Is it yours?" Brock held out the bag so the man could see.

The man peered closely before his eyes widened and he snatched the bag out of Brock's hands, "It can't be! I haven't seen this in forever! Is it here? Is my precious still here?" He rummaged through the bag before pulling out the spiraling fossil and squealing with delight, "Yes! It is here! All hail the great and mighty Helix Fossil!"

The man then grabbed Brock's hand and vigorously shook it. Brock pulled his hand back and recoiled in disgust; his hands were now covered with a fairly thick layer of grime.

Jayden groaned, "That was a freaking Helix Fossil? Should've broken it when we had the chance." We all looked at him curiously and he added, "I had a run in with some cultists a couple years ago. Let's just say shit was crazy…very crazy."

The tin foil man appeared to not have heard Jayden as we were all invited to his 'castle.' Really it was a sheet held up by a few rock pillars and a bunch of pictures of Helix Fossils and Omanytes. Along with some notes ranging from 'Worship from 12 AM to 12 AM' to 'Kill all infidels with the spoon of justice.'

 _Starting to see why Jayden doesn't like this guy_.

The tin foil man started doling out scoops of a weird gray broth into bowls carved out of rocks. I took a whiff and suddenly felt the compulsive need to slit my own throat. The soup smelled like a public bathroom in a poor, downscale Mexican restaurant. It smelled like...

Jayden groaned, "This smells like shit." I thought for a second before nodding in agreement with the phrase.

The cultist sat us all down in his 'castle' and asked, "So are you all believers? Or are you infidels?"

Ash cocked his head quizzically, "Believers of what?"

The cultist laughed, "The infinite power and wisdom of the Helix Fossil, of course!" Upon seeing our blank expression, his smiled vanished, "You do not believe in the divine justice wrought by his mightiness, the Helix Fossil?" When he didn't get a response, his face contorted, forming an expression of pure hatred and wrath, "Then feel the holy vengeance of the great and powerful Omanyte!"

With that, the maniac started chasing us out, waving around the Helix Fossil we gave to him like a big, heavy fan. I heard a scuffling sound and saw that Jayden had been wahcked on the head with the fossil.

I turned to help him, but he cried, "Save yourselves! I'll be fine!" He then turned to the cultist about to hit him again, "Alright, you psychotic sack of shit, wanna go?" An impromptu whack to the face answered that question. "Point taken," he weakly murmured.

The five of us looked at each other and shrugged before running off. The last thing we heard was Jayden crying, "Honedge, use meat shield" and a resounding clang.

After escaping the cave, we all waited around the Pokémon Center for Jayden to return.

"You think he's okay?" Serena asked, twiddling her thumbs.

Brock waved his hand, "He'll be fine. He's an Aura Guardian. I'm sure he's been through worse."

Ash looked worriedly at Brock, "But this was action for the sake of comedy. There's no telling what the author will write out next for a joke."

On cue, Jayden walked into the Pokémon Center carrying Honedge like a sword in his right hand and the bag of fossils in his left. However, he was wearing an Omanyte shell like a crown and had a blank expression on his face.

"Jayden? You feeling okay?" I asked.

He turned to me and held his hand out, "You may kiss the royal knuckle, loyal peasant."

I raised an eyebrow, "Loyal peasant? Who died and made you king?" 

Jayden didn't hesitate, "The fool who called himself ruler of the Helix Clan. Now that he's been dealt with, I may take my place as the true King of the Helix Clan, the avatar of Omanyte, the prophet to God! I am a divine force! I am immortality inconsequent-"

He fainted without a second's hesitation. We looked worriedly at him and saw Honedge's band wrapped tightly around his arm.

Jayden whispered, "My life force…"

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

I groaned, completely sore from Honedge draining me of my energy. We decided to take the fossils we found to the museum, which I did not appreciate considering what I went through to sell those.

"Check the museum out! It's so…futuristic." Dawn said while gazing towards the large white building with a sloped roof. Neon blue LED lights dotted every edge and crevice of the building. The doors were just as futuristic with glass that slid up and down.

Ash whistled once we entered the building, "This is definitely cooler than the one in Sinnoh. That museum was super boring. And unsafe." I looked at him quizzically and he elaborated, "Team Rocket stole one of those fossil machines and did a bunch of bad stuff."

I groaned again, this time because I remembered those screw ups, "How is it that there's not an open predatory complaint against them? I mean they tracked you across the world just to show their dominance."

Ash shrugged and I facepalmed. _Pokémon logic makes no goddamn sense._ The second we entered the building, a large security guard started waving us down with a metal detector. After we cleared his examination, he let us pass through a small gate where a researcher met up with us.

"Welcome to the Ambrette Fossil Museum. My name is Michael Jackson. May I guide you on your tour today?" I sweatdropped at her name. _Her_ name. The female researcher was named Michael Jackson. _God, the author will do anything for a laugh, won't he?_ I heard thunder rumble outside and stopped on the dangerous train of thought.

Brock held out the fossil bag, "Actually, we're just here to return these fossils. We found them in the Glittering Cave."

"We also found some crazy cultist." I added while Michael Jackson looked inside the bag.

Her eyes widened, "We lost these fossils years ago!" She looked gratefully at Brock and grabbed his hand, "How can I ever repay you?" I noticed she puffed out her chest and batted her eyelashes when she said that.

Now my eyes widened. I whispered in Ash's ear, "Is she flirting with Brock? Is that even possible?"

Ash shrugged, "Happens every so often. About once a region. It'll pass once the chapter's over."

Michael Jackson was now holding onto Brock's arm, ever so casually holding it in between her admittedly voluptuous breasts. Brock seemed ready to drool. Then before my eyes, the two vanished in a puff, a trail of smoke the only indication that they had run off somewhere. We all sweatdropped profusely.

The bag of fossils was on the ground when another researcher picked it up, "I'll reanimate them. You guys can come back in a few hours to see the Pokémon if you want."

Ash, May, Dawn, Serena and I looked at each other, completely unsure of what to do now. Dawn asked, "Should we go do something in the town?"

I pointed at the back room where Brock had run off with Michael Jackson, "What about Brock?" Then I heard grunting sounds and I pulled my hand back, "Never mind."

May tapped her chin, "There's a beach nearby. We could go there."

I remembered that they all bought swimsuits and I ran out the door towards the coast.

Turns out, going to the beach meant watching all the girls' stuff while they swam. And yes, Ash was included in that description.

I turned to Pika and sighed. He was sleeping on the blanket I stretched out while the umbrella I also set up shaded him. I scratched his head softly, earning a sleepy coo in response. He stretched out, rubbed his eyes and sat up against me, muttering something softly.

I nodded, "Yea, they're all out in the water."

"Pika. Pika pi kachupi."

I shrugged, "Why not. Riolu loves the sand." Per Pika's suggestion, I released my Pokemon, revealing Riolu, Grovyle and Honedge. I also removed the egg from my bag and set it next to me. I turned to Pika, "Hot stuff is good for eggs, right?" On cue, the egg faintly glowed for a second.

Pika shrugged and went to chase Grovyle around. Riolu stretched out next to the egg, one arm wrapped around it like a parent watching their child.

Honedge, on the other hand, seemed exhausted. He danced around in the air, slowly twirling on an axis. I noticed the several scratches on his blade and remembered how roughly I treated him earlier.

I nervously swallowed, "Hey. You feeling alright, Honedge?"

Honedge just grinned at me, "Hon honedge edge." Then he fell down.

"Shit. Sorry buddy." I pulled a Hyper Potion out of my bag and started spraying down the scratches and marks. Honedge quickly breathed a sigh of relief and I saw his eyes relax.

"Hon edge honedge hon!" Honedge thanked me, twirling energetically. I smiled at his health. _You know what? He's not so bad after all._ Then I saw that the healed scratches were shining silver.

"What the hell?" I ran my fingers down the scratch, causing Honedge to tense up. I felt a slight shift in thickness around the scratch, almost as if there were two layers and a piece of the top layer was missing. I pulled my hand back and saw that there were flakes of red along my fingertips. _Is that…paint?_

Honedge had begun slowly edging away from me, his eyes filled with guilty panic. I raised my head to look at him and without a second thought, I seized his handle and dashed to the water. After a fair amount of healthy scrubbing, struggling and using his ribbon like a washcloth, I managed to remove all of the red paint off of Honedge.

Revealing a completely normal, silver and blue steel-type. Not a shiny one. Not even close.

I came back to the towel set up where my Pokemon were all staring at me and the defeated sword. Even the egg looked focused on us. I let Honedge go and he floated under the umbrella. I took a towel and dried myself off before sitting down. I looked at Pika, then at Riolu and finally at Grovyle. Then I recalled Honedge and stuffed his Pokeball deep inside my backpack.

I groaned and laid back on the towel. "Great. You can't battle. You can't interact with me without trying to drain me of my life force. And you're not even shiny" I said to Honedge through the backpack and Pokéball. "But you know what? I'm gonna find some way to break you down." I got disturbingly close to the backpack and practically screamed at it, "I am going to turn you into something, you hear me? I am going to make you into the greatest Pokemon who ever lived or so help me, I will destroy you while trying!"

Everything was silent for a while. Then Riolu telepathically reached out, " _Was that just an angry way of saying that you're not giving up on Honedge?_ "

I looked at Riolu and rolled my eyes. I laid back down and groaned as I heard my beanie squelch. I reached up and recoiled at the wet cloth. "Great. I got it wet." I removed it and set it next to the egg to dry.

Then, right as I felt as if everything was going wrong that day, between the flatulent Rhyhorn, to the insane cultist, to losing my rightfully earned crown, to finding out Honedge was a mega-asshole, to getting my beanie all wet, something beautiful happened.

It was like a faint summer breeze…even though it was October. Some divine force called me to sit up. _Is that you Helix Fossil?_ Didn't matter because when I sat up, I saw the most divine thing I'd ever see. My three delightfully developed female compatriots walking, almost in slow motion, towards me, their bodies wet with ocean water.

Out of necessity, I crossed my legs. I looked at Pika, who had a smirk on his face. I stuck my tongue out at him before refocusing my gaze back to the action. _I can die a happy man. After seeing this, I can definitely die right now without any negative feelings._

The trio stood in front of me for a brief moment before Dawn's voice snapped me back to reality, "Can you go save Ash?"

I raised an eyebrow, "What?" I looked around, noticing my protégé was absent, "What happened to him?"

May sighed and pointed, "He tried to be heroic and save a big guy he thought was drowning. Turns out he was just practicing holding his breath and now, for some reason, he thinks Ash was insulting his weight."

"And now he's gonna kill Ash." Dawn added.

Serena groaned, "Why must people always assume the worst of actions done with good intentions?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Serena, was that actually intelligent social commentary coming out of your mouth?"

As if the author wanted to hide his jab at the world, Serena giggled and twirled her hair, "Look how pretty I am!"

I rolled my eyes and dug around my bag, grabbing my gloves. Then Riolu reached out to me, " _Leave them. You don't need to use violence._ " I sighed and let them go before standing up, dusting myself off, and following the trio to where my friend was about to get a lesson in being politically correct.

 _Wow. He is HUGE!_ The man was easily seven feet tall and looked like a mountain of badly sunburned flesh. Through he occasional gaps, I could see Ash backing away slowly, his eyes wide. Even Pikachu seemed terrified of the hulking mass of fat and muscle. I gulped and tapped the man on the shoulder. He turned violently and it took most of my willpower not to burst out laughing at the tan line where his goggles were. It was bad.

Regaining my composure, I smoothed out my shorts and cleared my throat, "Hello kind sir. How has my dearest compatriot offended you today?"

"HE CALLED ME CHUBBY!" I felt my hair blow back by the sheer force of his voice. _Ugh. And I thought Dialga could roar loudly_.

I wiped some of the man's spit off my face, "Come now. From what I've heard, my dear colleague was merely confused about the situation of your training. There's no reason to get so fed up with him."

Apparently I said something cuz his face lit up, "FED UP! YOU'RE CALLING ME FAT!"

I dropped the formal act and took on an expression of pure incredulity, "What? It's a figure of speech, dude!"

But my words fell on deaf, overly sensitive ears as the Big One ( _that's what I'm calling him_ ) took a swing at me. Several. Haymakers and jiggling flesh all over the place. Luckily, I was able to dodge all of them using my extremely advanced and complicated methods learned through years of intense focus, mediation and discipline.

 _Now it's dodge, duck, dip, dive and…duck again? Or dip again? I always forget what I had to repeat._

I never figured it out because at that moment, Ash decided to push the guy, knocking him over. I looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "Wow. Didn't expect that to happen."

Ash just smiled, "I get a little protective of my friends. I don't have the most self control, I guess." He laughed before ducking, shifting to the side and doing a backhand spring to escape three consecutive punches from the Big One. To anyone else, it would've been an impressive display of speed and agility. But I saw it for what it was.

 _He didn't even see the Big One. Ash used his instincts and acted accordingly. That was definitely aura sense._ I smiled at his accomplishment before I literally had the smile knocked off by a right cross from the Big One.

I fell back and I heard my friends gasp. I shook my head to reorient myself and touched the spot where he hit me, right on my lip. I pulled my fingers back to see some splotches of blood.

White hot rage filled me. I stood up and spat to the side, never taking my eyes off of the Big One, "How dare you? Nobody makes me bleed my own blood." I blocked a punch, dragged his arm in and seized the back of his head before whispering in his ear, "Nobody."

Then I unleashed a beat down of biblical proportions.

After being restrained by my friends for nearly committing first degree murder, I rinsed off the blood and sat back on the towel. It was now late in the afternoon and I could feel a slight chill coming on. I instinctively reached for my beanie. I pulled back a handful of the finest sand in Kalos.

I sat up in a panic and looked around. _It's gone! It's gone! Where's it gone? Where' my beanie? Pika and Grovyle are still running around. Honedge is where he belongs. Riolu is sleeping with the invisible egg. Ash and all them are…invisible egg._ I examined Riolu's empty arms carefully, seeing nothing but an indentation in the sand about the same size and shape of the egg. _Okay. This day was crappy enough, but THIS IS PUSHING IT!_

I nudged Riolu awake and pointed at the empty indentation. It took him a while to notice, but then his eyes widened and he took off, running around the beach, going through just about everybody's' bags and personal items looking for the egg. At this point, Pika and Grovyle were equally panicked, frantically digging and searching for the lost property.

Then I remembered I had superpowers and I activated my aura sense. I could feel my irises faintly glowing as I scanned the colorful energies around me for any thing that could lead me to my stolen property. Then I got a hit about 200 meters north of my little set-up. I could see my beanie, still irradiated with my aura, and my egg, still irradiated with the smell of the snack wrappers I throw in my backpack. And holding them both was:

"Team Rocket?" I asked, flabbergasted upon discovering the duo and the talking cat.

Almost immediately, they burst into their motto.

"Prepare for trouble"

"Make it double"

"To protect the world from devas-"

"No! NO! SHUT UP! Jesus Christ, shut. UP! Don't you jackasses have real jobs? Besides stalking children?" I said the last sentence right as James opened his mouth to answer my rhetorical question.

"Hey twoip! That's enough outta you!" Meowth readied his Fury Swipes, but I was too done with the day to care.

"You know what? One more word OUTTA YOU and I swear to god, I will throw every goddamn Pokéball I can find at your hairy ass!" Meowth's face filled with fear and he ran off, crying hysterically.

Jessie watched her friend vanish in a twinkle of light before angrily turning to me, "That was so unnecessary! Meowth never hurt a soul!"

I threw my hands into the air, "Never hurt a…this bitch right here. You know what? Of course he hasn't hurt a soul. He hasn't done anything! None of you have! You're all just pointless comic relief characters. Even when the network tries to make you actual villains, you just go back to being comic relief."

James looked like a just killed his whole family and his dog. Jessie looks like I stomped on her career as a coordinator.

I continued, "Yea that's right buddy. I REMEMBER BEST WISHES SEASON 1! THE BLACK COSTUMES SUCKED AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT! SO GIVE ME BACK MY SHIT THEN GO BE USEFUL AND BLAST OFF OR SOMETHING. GOD KNOWS I NEED A LAUGH CUZ THAT'S ALL YOU ARE, OR EVER WILL BE, GOOD AT!"

Jessie and James just looked at each other before silently handing me back my stuff and walking back to the town, eventually fading away in a distant and unenthusiastic twinkle.

I sighed, "Jeez. I hope that doesn't end up biting me in the ass at some point. That'd be ironic." **(A.N. EPIC FORESHADOWING)**

That night, we went back to the fossil museum to see the Pokémon revived. From the moment we walked inside, we knew something was off. For one, there was a canvas bag about the size of the old security guard currently on fire in the corner.

Also, the lab researchers seemed to have put on some sort of ceremonial brown robe and were holding single candles, chanting in front of a door where fog billowed out from under wood.

The researcher who told us to come back recognized us and removed his hood to speak with us, "Hello children! You're just in time for the ceremony."

Serena seemed freaked out, "Um…you mean see the revived Pokémon?"

The researcher seemed confused at first before recalling the purpose of our meeting earlier, "Oh yes. The Tyrunt and the Amaura you helped us recover are over there next to the infidel."

My face lit up with panic, "I'm sorry. Did you say _infidel_?" But nobody was looking at me.

True to his word, there was a blue quadruped and a blue T-Rex next to what must've been the still-living security guard trapped inside the burning canvas bag.

I raised an eyebrow at the Tyrunt, "Is it actually shiny? Or did you just paint him?" My friends looked at me quizzically, but I flashed a look that said 'I'll explain later.'

The researcher uninterestedly nodded.

 _I guess it's really shiny._ I turned to him, "Can I have him?"

The researcher shrugged before returning to his old position, chanting at the door. _I'll take it as a yes._ I tossed a Pokéball at the Tyrunt and it dinged almost immediately. I grinned and picked it up. _This day isn't so bad after all._

And then my day got infinitely worse. The door the researchers were praying to burst open and through the cloud of smoke, I saw a shadow of a shell. _Oh no. Please don't tell me. Please don't be-_ Omanyte trudged out of the smoke, paused in front of the crowd of researchers, and continued sliding around, completely uninterested in whatever was going on.

The researchers all screamed in unison, "PRAISE THE HELIX FOSSIL FOR OUR LORD HAS RETURNED!" They began throwing their candles around and dancing in insane jigs. The five of us just backed away slowly, making a break for it once we had the chance.

After a few minutes of running, we stopped to breathe, which I used to talk to my new friend. "Go Tyrunt!" The blue dinosaur appeared in a flash. I grinned at him, "Hi Tyrunt! I'm your new friend, Jayden. And this is my partner, Pika. We're excited to have you on the team!"

I raised my hand for a high five. Tyrunt looked at it for a second, sniffed it, and then chomped down on it. Hard. They say my scream were heard around the world.

Unknown Location, Kalos Region (Night)

 _ **Brock's POV**_

I breathed heavily, fear running through my entire body. I was tied up to a wall, completely exposed in front of the scientist who seduced me. I gulped with fear as she ran her black whip down my chest.

She smiled maliciously and seductively whispered, "Can I tell you about our lord and savior, Omanyte?"

I shrieked at the top of my lungs, or at least as loud as I could behind the ball gag in my mouth, "Won somon sev me? (Won't someone save me?)"

 **And that's a good place to end this incredibly pointless chapter. More to come!**

 **Review if you get the chance, cuz that's dope AF.**


	11. Ash vs Grant 2: The Reckoning

**I'll be addressing the last chapter in my closing Author's Note so read that if you were confused/disturbed by Chapter 10.**

 **Something I wanna bring up is the tone of this story. I love writing humorously, but I wanna start advancing the story a bit more, so there'll be less humor and more serious bits. Not to say the story isn't gonna be funny. Just not as much. If you don't like that, feel free to comment or review and tell me that because I'm always willing to make some changes that you feel will improve the story.**

 **Thanks for Reviewing:**

 **Climax Kid**

 **RPD490**

 **Chi No Taki**

 **Winter Arctica**

 **GuardianOfAura**

 **Now to the good part.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. If you thought I did, you should probably check yourself into a mental institution for being a dumbshit.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Ash vs. Grant 2: The Reckoning *** **Plays Cheesy 80's Action Music** *****

Cyllage City, Kalos Region (Morning)

 _ **Ash's POV**_

"I don't know if this is a good idea, Jayden. It seems dangerous." I touched the blindfold he placed on my head, considering ripping it off in a panic.

Jayden laughed, "Nonsense! This is a great idea! I saw how you dodged the Big One back at the beach without looking. This'll be way easier than that."

I gulped nervously. After our morning sparring session, Jayden told me that I should try defending myself with a blindfold on to trigger my Aura Sense. Only one problem: I wasn't fighting him; I was fighting Pikachu.

I heard Jayden crouch a few feet away from me. He spoke softly to Pikachu, "Okay buddy, you're gonna try to hit Ash as hard as you possibly can. Use any of your moves to do so, but uhh…try not to kill him." He laughed a little at that last part. Pikachu responded with a determined cry.

I gulped again and I felt sweat start to form on my forehead, "Jayden, I _really_ don't know about this."

Jayden walked over and placed his hand on my shoulder, "Just relax. You and Pikachu are best friends. It should be easy to detect his aura. Just remember to calm down and open yourself up to the world. Everything from there is self-explanatory."

I nodded, but I felt my palms shake nervously. Jayden gave the word and I heard Pikachu jump into the air.

 _Okay Ash. You can do this. I believe in you…or me?_

"Pika!" I heard Pikachu yell over the familiar metallic swing of an Iron Tail. Instinctively, I ducked and rolled out of the way. I heard the air burst of a Quick Attack and I summersaulted to my right. Then I heard another Iron Tail and I ducked again. However, Pikachu apparently predicted this and I caught the full force of the attack to my butt. The Iron Tail sent me several feet forward, rolling over the dirty ground.

"Ow!" I groaned, rubbing the sore spot. _That hurt so much, I almost feel bad for every Pokémon Pikachu's used Iron Tail against. Almost._

Jayden called from the sidelines, "Tsk. Ash, you can't just rely on chance and dumb luck. Stop screwing around and actually pay attention!"

I got to my feet and breathed deeply. Like I'd been trained to, I opened myself up to the world, trying to trigger something. Suddenly, I felt a voice in my head tell me to duck. So I did. Pikachu's Iron Tail lightly brushed the tips of my hair.

I grinned and turned to Jayden, "Hey, I did it! I really di-" I felt the wind knocked out of me as Pikachu's Quick Attack struck me in the stomach. I keeled over, unable to take a breath. I heard Jayden sigh and walk over to me, crouch down and place his hand on the spot where I got hit.

Suddenly, the pain vanished. I peeled off the blindfold to see Jayden's gloved hand on my abdomen enveloped in green light. He finished healing me and offered me a hand up.

"I think that's enough for today. You did pretty good for your first time training like this."

I looked at his hand and back down. _I can do better. I can do this!_ I looked back at Jayden with a confident grin, "I got this. Just one more time."

Jayden looked taken aback, but he quickly grinned and walked back to the sideline, "Alright. Whenever you're ready."

I replaced the blindfold and took another deep breath. But this time, I focused on what I wanted to see. _I want to see Pikachu. I NEED to see Pikachu. He's my best friend. I've known him for years. I know where he is. I know what he's doing. I sense where he is. I sense what he's doing. I can do this. I am doing this._

I guess the mantra worked because almost like magic, a blue outline of Pikachu appeared in my vision. Not really vision, but something else entirely. Something primal and elemental. I just knew that Pikachu was ten feet behind me at my 7 o'clock. I smiled and nodded. The outline took off towards me, cheeks sparking.

"Chu pika!" I ducked his Iron Tail aimed for my head. I stepped to the side when he followed it up. Then he wound up for a Thunderbolt and I readied myself. When he released the bolt, I saw where it was going to land. Almost like slow motion, I navigated around the attack and to a distance around 20 feet away.

This back and forth continued for a while. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't hit me. My focus was on Pikachu and Pikachu alone. Save for the occasional obstacle I had to avoid, the only thing that popped up on my Aura Sense was Pikachu.

I grinned, confident in my new skills, "Why don't you go for a Volt Tackle, buddy?"

I could faintly sense Jayden shift in his seat, before resettling. I felt my confidence grow as I knew he believed in me. _Alright Ash. It's all or nothing now._

Pikachu's outline smiled, "Pika! Pika pika pika pika pika! Pi Ka!" The Volt Tackle crackled with power. I felt a bit of fear form in the pit of my stomach, but I held fast. Right as Pikachu jumped to hit me in the chest, I fell back onto my hands into a bridge position. Pikachu flew right over my torso. I then did a backhand spring and blocked the follow-up Iron Tail with my knee.

I held that position for a while before I removed the blindfold. I blinked profusely as the blue outline vanished and was replaced by painfully bright light. After my eyes readjusted, I cheered, "I did it! I actually did it! I used Aura Sense!"

Jayden ran over and high-fived me, "That was awesome! That was actual Aura Sense! I can't believe you picked it up so quickly!" Pika hopped off the bench he was sleeping on to flash me a thumbs up before climbing onto Jayden's head.

I smiled and held my arms out to Pikachu, who jumped into them, "Thanks buddy! You were great." He cooed and nuzzled my chin.

We started to walk back to the Pokémon Center to clean up. On the way, Jayden asked, "Hey Ash, you ready for your battle with Grant? Got the team good to go and everything?"

I nodded, "Yea, I'm feeling pretty good about it. I'm a little curious what other Pokémon he's gonna use though. I only saw him use Onix, but it didn't really feel like that was Grant's ace-in-the-hole."

Jayden nodded thoughtfully, "Well, as long as you're well prepped, then you'll be fine."

I shrugged as we walked through the doors of the Pokémon Center. I went straight to the bathroom in our room and took a quick shower. Right as I got out of the shower, I inspected myself in the mirror.

Muscles had started to sprout along my body from the physical training I'd undergone. My face started to angle out a bit more and some of the more boyish features of my physique were fading away. I smiled at the changes I saw. _Not bad. Not bad at all._

Then everything went black and all I could see was a blue glow from the bottom of my line of sight. I looked down and almost fell over; my entire body was covered in blue fire. I started breathing heavily, trying to pat it out. I looked around in a panic, trying to see something to put the fire out. Then I saw more outlines.

These outlines were blue, like the one from earlier, but they were also more lively, made of wisps of light that seemed flame-like. I could see Jayden in the room trying to hold his long hair back with his beanie. I could see Pikachu and Pika having a conversation on the empty bed we saved for Brock in case he ever came back from wherever he was. I could see two bright spheres in my bag and three in Jayden's. I could even see a faintly glowing oval in his bag.

I started breathing heavily. _What the hell is going on?_ I looked around, trying to find someway to snap out of this. Then I saw the girls' room next door. Dawn looked like she was brushing her hair. Serena was feeding Fennekin something. And May was…in the bathroom…in the show-

"Ah!" I ran back, trying to escape from the sight before I violated May's privacy any further. However, I slipped on the slightly wet tile floor and fell down, banging my head on the sink. I groaned, clutching my aching skull.

"Ash, you okay?" Jayden asked from behind the door. I let out a weak moan, pain filling my body. I could feel some blood on my head from where I banged it. I heard a crunch and a crack and suddenly, Jayden's hand was on my head again, healing it.

I sighed with relief and opened my eyes. The world came back into normal view and I saw Jayden kneeling over me, his eyes glowing green and focused on my head. I also saw the door was thrown open and the doorknob was missing along with a fair chunk of the door. I looked to the side and saw the crushed doorknob still stuck inside the missing piece of wood. _That explains the sound_.

Jayden sighed and helped me up, "What happened? Are you okay?"

I waved my hand, "Yea I'm fine. I guess I just felt a little tired, is all. No big deal."

Jayden raised an eyebrow, but he shrugged, "Well after using aura like that, it's not unreasonable to assume you're a bit fatigued. Nothing some food can't fix." At the mention of food, I raced out of the room to the cafeteria. Jayden stayed back for a second before he followed me, a curious expression on his face.

* * *

Cyllage City Gym, Kalos Region (Noon)

 _Wow. That's a big waterfall._ Serena, Dawn, May, Jayden and I were all inside the gym and had come face to face with a hundred-foot tall waterfall and an equally tall rock wall paved with climbing stones. To the left, was an elevator that led straight up.

I heard footsteps coming from the top of the waterfall. I looked up and grinned at the sight. Grant called down, "Hey Ash! Welcome to the Cyllage City Gym! You ready?"

I cupped my hands around my mouth, "You know it, Grant!" Pikachu on my shoulder pumped his fist.

Grant smiled, "Alright! Climb up whenever you're ready." It took me a second to realize he wanted me to climb up the wall.

I laughed, "Please. That won't be hard at all!"

Grant smirked, "I don't know Ash. That waterfall makes the rocks pretty slippery. Even I have some trouble climbing this wall." He turned to the rest of the group, "You guys can take the elevator though."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Dawn teased, "Alright Ash, we'll see you at the top!"

Serena giggled, "Have fun!"

May laughed, "Try not to get yourself killed."

I frowned at their jokes, but then Jayden whispered in my ear, "Hey. Be careful, okay? I'll be here to give you a hand."

I turned to him with a look of confusion, "What do you mean 'give me a hand'?" But Jayden went onto the elevator without stopping to answer. Right as the door closed, he gave me a sly smile and a wink. _What's he planning?_

I walked in front of the wall. I gulped and gripped the first stone. Almost immediately, my hand slipped off. I groaned, "This is gonna be impossible," I said to Pikachu. He shrugged and jumped onto the wall. With unparalleled speed, he climbed the wall like it was nothing. He got to the top and gestured for me to follow. My mouth fell open in awe, but I quickly closed it and readied myself for another shot.

Slowly, but surely, I started climbing the wall. Each time I grabbed a new stone, I gripped it for dear life. Soon enough, my hair was damp with sweat and water from the cascade. My breath was reduced to a heavy pant. _Why am I so weak?_ Then my vision started going black again and my feet slipped. However, I forced myself back to attention and repositioned myself.

Then I heard Jayden's voice calling to me through telepathy, " _Hold on. I got a surprise for you."_

 _A surprise? What surprise? What're you talking about, Jayden?_ Then I felt a surge of strength in my body. Instinctively, I pulled myself up and pushed, rocketing several feet into the air. I grabbed onto another rock and repeated the process until I was finally at the top. Grant and the others seemed awestruck, but Jayden flashed me a smirk.

I gave a thumbs-up and got onto the side facing Grant. The battlefield was a long rock field with a large opening in the cavern above us to let in some light.

"Go Ash!" Dawn cheered from the sidelines. I grinned at her and grabbed my first Pokéball.

The referee called out to Grant and I both, "This will be a three on three battle between Grant, the gym leader, and Ash, the challenger. This battle will be over when all of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle. Additionally, only the challenger may substitute Pokémon. Are you both ready?"

Grant nodded confidently, "I'm ready. Are you Ash?"

I smirked, "You know it!"

He smiled at my enthusiasm, "Alright. I'll give you the first move."

"Okay! Froakie, I choose you!" In a flash, my blue frog appeared.

"Onix, you're up!" The tall rock snake materialized, towering over Froakie.

"Froakie, use Water Pulse!" Froakie formed a bright blue ball in his hand and threw it at Onix. With incredible speed, the ball rocketed towards the latter, knocking him over.

"Onix! Are you okay?" The rock-type gave Grant a nod and stood erect once more, "Great. Use Wrap!" Onix's tail zoomed around Froakie, moving closer and closer to Froakie in a circular pattern.

"Jump up high and use Water Pulse again!" Froakie leaped into the air and tossed another blue energy ball at Onix. This time, the rock-type quickly maneuvered its head out of the way, causing the Water Pulse to crash into a back wall.

Grant smirked, "That won't work again, Ash. Now Onix, Rock Tomb!" Onix roared loudly and a portal formed under the opening in the cave. From the portal, several large boulders began falling, headed right for the still-airborne Froakie.

This time, I smirked, "Now, Rock Tomb Climb!" Froakie started jumping back and forth between the falling rocks, maintaining his altitude with his natural leaping ability.

From the stands, I could hear Jayden groaning, "Rock Tomb Climb? Seriously? That's idiotic, even by your standards." I flashed a rude gesture and continued on the battle.

Grant seemed awestruck by the combo, "That's some amazing agility. You've been working hard, haven't you?" I grinned and nodded, but Grant smirked confidently, "Well as luck would have it, so have I. Onix, use Iron Tail!" Onix's glowing tail swiped at the boulders, pulverizing most of them and throwing Froakie off balance.

My grin faded, "Froakie, rebalance yourself!" Froakie tried to readjust before he fell, but he was too discombobulated.

Grant took advantage of the confusion, "Now, finish it off with Flash Cannon!" Onix's mouth glowed bright white before he launched a beam of silvery-white light at Froakie. The blast sent my water-type crashing into the ground. The dust quickly cleared, revealing an unconscious Pokémon.

The referee called out, "Froakie is unable to battle. Onix is the winner."

I sighed and recalled Froakie, "Thanks, buddy. You were awesome." I looked at Onix and growled. _Man. Onix is way stronger than it was at the Battle Chateau. I don't wanna risk sending Pikachu out this early on. But Fletchling is extra weak against that Rock Tomb. Ugh! What do I do?_

Then the world went black again. But this time, all I could see was a faint blue outline in my pocket. It was Fletchling's Pokéball and I could feel his fighting spirit. _You wanna battle Onix?_ As if he could hear my thoughts, Fletchling's outline shined brightly for a brief moment. Then the world returned to color.

I picked up Fletchling's ball and smiled, "Alright! Fletchling, I choose you!" In a flash, my small robin appeared in the air, chirping with confidence.

Grant looked shocked before he started chuckling, "Oh Ash. I don't know what you're planning, but I bet it's gonna be interesting. A trainer like you wouldn't just send a flying-type out without a solid plan."

I grinned, "You know it!" _I have no idea what I'm doing, do I?_ I thought carefully before ordering, "Fletchling, start out with Double Team!" Fletchling moved quickly, forming several after-images in a circle around Onix. "Now use Razor Wind!" The clones all charged up, their wings glowing bright white. Then they flapped rapidly, releasing several sharp blades of wind.

The blades all collided with Onix. However, it only felt damage from one blade. Onix turned in the direction of that blade and roared.

Grant was quick on the uptake, "Rock Tomb, let's go!" Onix's falling rocks obliterated the after-images until there was only one left, zooming around the remaining boulders. "Iron Tail!"

I watched with horror as the massive glowing tail charged for my small friend. Then a thought struck me. _Use Steel Wing! Block the attack and charge at him! That's it!_ Then before I could open my mouth, I heard a faint chirping from inside my head. _What the heck?_ Then, I saw Fletchling's wings glow metallically. Using his wings, Fletchling deflected the Iron Tail and charged for Onix.

Grant snapped out of his shock at the display, "Flash Cannon!"

As Onix charged his attack, I had another thought, almost like someone suggested it to me: _Use Steel Wing to deflect the Flash Cannon back at Onix and then knock him out!_ Once again, I heard a chirping. _That sounds like Fletchling!_

When Onix fired, Fletchling's wings crossed in front of his body in an X pattern. Then, Fletchling angled his body, reflecting the Flash Cannon like a mirror with a laser. The blast struck Onix on the midsection, causing the rock snake to roar in pain. Then, Fletchling charged at its head and struck it with impressive force. Onix collapsed to the ground, completely knocked out.

"Onix is unable to battle, Fletchling is the winner!"

Grant's jaw dropped, "Woah. That was incredible! I've never seen such an impressive and creative use for Steel Wing. You've already shown me that you're worthy to be at this gym, Ash. The only question left is if you're worthy of this badge."

I grinned, "You'll just have to find out!"

Grant smiled, "I guess I will. Amaura, I choose you!" In a flash, a short blue dinosaur appeared on Grant's side of the field. It yawned cutely and took a defensive stance. Grant gestured for me to take the first move.

"Fletchling, Steel Wing, once more!" Fletchling dashed at Amaura with metallic wings extended. However, Fletchling collapsed before he got halfway there.

He wasn't unconscious, but I could see that he was exhausted. "Return! Pikachu, your turn." Pikachu and Fletchling swapped positions on my shoulder and on the field, respectively. "Now use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu's tail shined like steel and he dashed for Amaura.

"Use Rock Tomb!" Falling rocks crashed around Pikachu, forcing him to stop his charge and start evading.

Then I remembered a trick that worked earlier in my career as a trainer, "Use Iron Tail to knock the rocks at Amaura." Pikachu did so and several large boulders knocked Amaura back, doing a fair deal of damage. "Now use Quick Iron Tail!"

Pikachu dashed at Amaura with lightining speed, a trail of white following him. He then crashed into the rock-type. After the initial impact, he pivoted on his front legs, dragging his tail along with him, causing it to smack into Amaura with tremendous force, knocking it out.

"Amaura is unable to battle. Pikachu wins!"

I grinned as Grant recalled his Pokémon. I turned to my friends and smiled as I saw Dawn doing her cheer routine while everyone else flashed a thumbs-up or a smile.

I turned back to the battle as Grant fingered his last Pokéball, "Well Ash, I have to admit: You're doing very, very good. Better than I thought. But that stops now. This is my strongest Pokémon. I only use him against trainers that REALLY challenge me. So let me introduce you to Tyrantrum!" In a flash, a large red-orange bipedal dinosaur appeared and roared, almost knocking off my hat with the force of its yell.

I gulped. _That's a big Pokémon._ I pulled out my Pokédex and it sounded off, 'Tyrantrum, the Despot Pokémon. Using its jaw, Tyrantrum can rip through thick metal. In times past, it was considered unbeatable.'

 _Great. Unbeatable. Should I let Pikachu handle it? Nah, he could use a break. Fletchling seems raring to go._ I looked at the bird on my shoulder who was currently rustling his wings in anticipation. I gestured for him to enter the battle again.

"Fletchling, use Razor Wind!" Fletchling fired a blade of wind at Tyrantrum. However, it roared and the blade vanished. "Crap. Try a Steel Wing!" Then a voice sounded in my head: _Aim for the leg._ "And aim for his leg."

Fletchling took off and successfully landed a powerful attack on Tyrantrum's right leg. The Despot Pokémon cried in pain. He fell to his knees, feeling agony from the strike.

Grant's eyes widened in shock, "Tyrantrum! Are you okay?" The rock-type breathed deeply and stood back up with a resounding roar. Grant smiled, "That's more like it! Now use Rock Tomb and don't stop until Fletchling's knocked down."

Tyrantrum roared, forming a large portal up above where large rocks descended upon my small bird. He flew around, swerving and pivoting to avoid the damage. Then a boulder caught him by surprise, knocking him down several feet.

"Fletchling, use Steel Wing to deflect the rocks!" Fletchling recovered mid-air and started knocking the falling rocks away with glowing wings. However, Tyrantrum kept roaring, causing more and more rocks to fall in an endless cycle. And I could see Fletchling's exhaustion take root.

 _Fletchling can't keep this up much longer, but he can't go in for an attack either. He also can't get out of this Rock Tomb. Okay, Ash. Think. How can I beat this...generic words of encouragement? Sounds as good a strategy as any._ "Fletchling, you can do it!"

Fletchling paused in the air and turned to me. He didn't say anything, but he quickly chirped with joy. Then a massive boulder fell on him.

I felt a sudden pang of guilt at having distracted him. Then, I felt a chime in my head. And then the boulder that fell on Fletchling burst apart.

A massive concussive force rippled throughout the cave, causing dust to fall from the ceiling and sending most of the falling rocks away, many of which collided with Tyrantrum. My mouth fell open when I saw what was going on.

Fletchling's body was glowing bright white. Swirling streams of energy flowed around him, pulsating every so often. Within seconds, the glow faded and Fletchling's body was suddenly much longer and his expression was much fiercer.

"Fletchinder!" my newly-evolved flying-type cried.

I grinned and pulled out my Pokédex. It sounded off, 'Fletchinder, the Ember Pokémon. Once in flight, Fletchinder can reach its top speed extremely quickly, giving it the edge in battle by attacking is opponents before they can get prepared.'

"Wow, you're a Fletchinder now!" I scanned the Pokédex screen, "And you picked up some new moves! Let's try these out. Use Flame Charge!"

Fletchinder's body became outlined in fire. He then took off for Tyrantrum, smacking into it with a burst of flame. Then, Fletchinder repeated the attack several times over, becoming faster and faster with each strike.

Grant growled, "Sorry Ash, but you won't get the chance to try those new moves out. Tyrantrum, Draco Meteor."

Tyrantrum formed a ball of bright orange energy in his jaw. He then fired the sphere into the sky where it shattered into hundreds of small orange energy bursts.

"Fly around them!" Fletchinder used the speed boosts from the several Flame Charges to dodge and evade all of the attacks. Then I felt the voice in my head sound off again: _The leg. Sweep it again._ I looked at Tyrantrum's injured leg and noticed that it was scratched. It seemed to glow faintly, like a beacon guiding me toward it.

"Fletchinder, attack the right leg with Aerial Ace!" Fletchinder sped through the Draco Meteor and struck said leg, his body streaming white energy. Tyrantrum roared in pain, this time falling onto his stomach, unable to further support himself.

Grant growled, "This isn't over! Hyper Beam, max power!" Tyrantrum formed a large black, red and purple sphere in his jaw, allowing it grow bigger and bigger. He then fired the powerful beam at Fletchinder.

"Counter with Flamethrower!" Fletchinder's beak opened wide and he fired a large stream of fire directly at the beam, colliding with it in a burst of flame and black energy.

The beams struggled with each other for a few moments before exploding, shaking the whole cave and knocking some small stalactites down from the roof. A massive dust cloud formed, taking several minutes to clear. When it did, Fletchinder was down on the ground, his eyes swirled up. Tyrantrum was breathing heavily and badly injured, but still conscious. I groaned in disappointment.

The referee sounded off, "Fletchinder is unable to battle, Tyrantrum is-" He was cut short by Tyrantrum also falling unconscious, letting out a soft, but still incredibly loud, sigh. The referee restarted, "Both Pokémon are unable to battle. This round is declared a tie. Therefore, the challenger, Ash, wins."

I cheered and ran to Fletchinder, enveloping him in a big hug, "We did it! We did it!" He chirped back happily. I returned him to his Pokéball and scratched Pikachu behind the ear as thanks for his hard work.

Grant walked over to me, "Congratulations Ash. I honestly thought I had a real shot, but you never know. Anyways, here's proof of your achievement here today: the Cliff Badge." He handed me a brown badge made of three rectangles arranged to look like stairs.

I took the badge gratefully, placed in my badge case and smiled, "Thanks Grant! It was a ton of fun!"

I walked back to my friends and was greeted to a fairly warm reception. Dawn and May gave me big hugs and Serena mumbled something with a bright red face. _She getting sick or something? She looks really flushed._ Jayden gave me a fist bump.

"That was so awesome! When Fletchinder evolved, I was like 'WOAH!'" Dawn started rambling about the high points of the battle. I just smiled and continued out of the gym and into the bright morning light.

I turned to Serena, who was still bright red, "Hey, are you feeling alright?"

She turned to me and waved her hands, "Yea, I'm fine!" I raised an eyebrow, but shrugged and continued.

Then the world went black again. I sensed a blue outline behind me. But it was Serena this time. And her head seemed to be filled with a swirling mass of blue energy. The voice returned: _Reach for it._

I reached out, but instead of my body moving, it was my mind. Or my soul. It was weird. Anyways, I 'grabbed' onto the energy in her head. Then I started seeing things. Memories, thoughts and dreams. But they weren't mine. They were Serena's.

I saw her when she first learned how to ride a Rhyhorn. When I helped her back at summer camp. When she started exploring her bod- _No! No! I don't wanna see that! Whatever that was, no thank you!_

I tried to let go, but one thought followed me out. I didn't wanna hear it, but it still trailed after me. I tried to resist, but I allowed myself to read it.

' _I'm in love with Ash Ketchum_ '

I suddenly returned to the world of the living. I looked around in a panic, but quickly regained my composure. We were all still walking back to the Pokémon Center and it looked like nobody had noticed what just happened. Or they didn't see it. _How long did that take? It felt like hours. It must've been like what happened with that tree back on Route 5._

I continued with these thoughts all the way back to the Pokémon Center. Then when we walked in, I felt a pang. Suddenly, all I could see was blue outlines of Pokémon in the medical bay.

All of them were in pain. So much pain. A Psyduck with an injured bill. A Galvantula with a broken leg. A Meowth with PTSD from someone threatening to capture it. _That last one seems familiar._

Then my sight returned. I continued back to the room, but stumbled around a bit as the normal world sometimes would be replaced by quick flickers of the outlines. My friends didn't seem to notice, too caught up in their own conversation. I walked into my room and stood inside for a second.

Jayden walked in after me and saw my expression, "Are you okay? Is it that weak feeling again?"

Pikachu looked at with with concern. I smiled and patted him on the head, "I'm fine. Really." I turned to Jayden, "No need to worry." I took a step forward.

The last thing I remember before I fainted was a flash of something. I saw someone with long black hair swinging some sort of sword around, knocking down wave after wave of enemies.

* * *

 _Where am I? What's going on? Am I…dead? No I can't be dead. It's only the 11_ _th_ _chapter. There's so much left to do!_

 _But what happened? Why can't I move? I can't see anything. There's a light, but it's so far away. Maybe if I reach for it. Just a little bit. Almost there!_

 _Gotcha!_

* * *

Pokemon Center, Cyllage City (Morning)

I woke with a start. I tried to sit up, but I couldn't summon the strength do so. I fell back, breathing heavily. A hand gripped my shoulder and another gripped my back. The two hands eased me into a seating position. I opened my eyes and saw Jayden throwing some pillows behind me for support.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu jumped onto my lap and started nuzzling me. I smiled, but I struggled to speak.

Eventually, I managed to say a few words, "What happened?" I croaked. My voice felt dry and weak, as if I hadn't drunk anything for years. Jayden noticed this and handed me a cup of water, which I chugged in seconds. While I worked my way through the water pitcher, he talked.

"You were mumbling something about blue outlines while you slept. I'm guessing that means you're having brief bouts of Aura Sense, right?" I nodded while drinking my fourth cup. Jayden continued, "My best guess is that your body isn't trained to tune out the extra stimuli. So whenever your Aura Sense picks up something, your body can't resist the signal and forces you to see it."

I wiped my mouth of the last water droplets. I handed the pitcher back to Jayden, who handed it to Grovyle. Grovyle ran outside with the pitcher to refill it.

I asked, "So I can't tune out the Aura Sense yet?" Jayden nodded. I groaned, "If it makes me this sick, I'm not sure if I want to use it."

Jayden shook his head, "It's not because of your Aura Sense. It's because your body is forcing it, but you're resisting it. That disconnect between mind and body is what's making you sick."

I nodded before feeling a sudden chill. I rubbed my hands together, only to realize that I was wearing a strange pair of gloves. I looked down and realized they were Jayden's, "Why am I wearing your gloves?"

"They help you control your aura. They also have a seal on them designed to restrict aura output. Not only can you stay in control, but in case anything bad happens, your sense won't even activate."

I nodded before a question rose, "But you can use your Aura Sense with these on. Why aren't you affected?"

Jayden scratched his head, "It's kinda complicated, but essentially, it boils down to my Aura Sense being unusually acute and powerful." I cocked my head and Jayden further elaborated, "Most Aura users can't use Aura Sense without tuning out the rest of the world by closing their eyes. I can use Aura Sense just as powerfully with my eyes open. Also, the average user can't sense any farther than 1 or 2 miles around them. I can see for at least 25 miles. And I don't see aura in one color. I see other people's aura as they see it. I can see that your aura is blue. Nurse Joy's is pink. And the prostitute in the alley 200 feet from us has a black aura."

I almost spit out my water, "The _who_ has _what_?"

Jayden started laughing profusely, "I'm just kidding. The prostitute is 500 feet away from us." I almost hit him that time. "But it's hard for me to lose my sense. The worst those gloves can do is make it hard for me to see with my eyes open or limit my range by a few miles."

I nodded with a grin, "That's pretty awesome." Jayden looked a little surprised by my answer, but he smiled. Then my smile faded and I asked another question, "Am I…bad at using aura? I mean, I haven't been able to do much and now I'm sick from it. Should I even be doing this?"

"Yes." This time, it was my turn to be surprised by how quickly Jayden answered. "This isn't uncommon. A lot of Novitiates, especially older ones, have some problems early on. But they also progress much faster in the more advanced stuff. It's a matter of perspective. Short-term: yes, it's gonna be hard. Long-term: it's gonna be a helluva lot easier."

I smiled, "Thanks, Jayden. Did you ever have problems with your Aura Sense? What with it being really strong and all."

He looked at the ground for a while and sighed, scratching Pika behind the ear, "Yea. When I was 6." He paused to take a deep breath and continued, "I started hearing voices. People I'd never heard or met before. Then, when I was at school or just sitting around, I would have these daydreams of people far away. I would see some of them really happy. Like if someone got proposed to or if someone had a baby. That always cheered me up. I thought I was special. That someone, somewhere, had let me into their lives to see something beautiful. But when I slept, I would see the…uglier side of it. I would see parents beating on their child, a guy getting mugged in an alley, or someone flat-lining at the hospital."

Jayden stopped to take another deep breath. I could tell this wasn't easy for him, so I patted his shoulder. He looked at me gratefully and continued, "Eventually, I started seeing so much of it. The voices and the images wouldn't stop. I couldn't think or eat or sleep. So I ran away from home. I thought if I ran far enough, the voices would stop. Then I started hearing Pika cry when he found out I was gone. He was still really young at that point so he wasn't supposed to be left alone. I wanted to go back, but with each step I took, the voices just got louder and louder. I thought I was gonna go insane from it all. Then…someone…found me. He explained what was happening, gave me a potion that made the voices go away, and then he took me home."

I smiled, "That's a nice story." Jayden shrugged and turned away, but I swear I saw a smile on his face. Then a loud whooshing sound travelled over the Pokemon Center. Jayden jumped to his feet with a big grin on.

I nearly fell out of bed at the loud sound, "What's that?"

Jayden laughed, "That would be the cavalry."

I raised an eyebrow, "Who? You mean May, Dawn, and Serena? Brock?"

He shook his head, "Nah, I asked them to get me supplies. This is a friend that I called in to help you. I'm pretty amateur about this medical stuff, but he's an Aura Master and a pretty accomplished healer. He'll know how to help you."

I was really interested now, "Who?"

Jayden smirked, "One of the most powerful people I've ever met. Both in aura and in battle. This guy's a powerhouse."

I was getting really excited now, "Who?" I was practically bouncing in my chair. On cue, someone knocked on the door to our room. Jayden threw it open revealing a giant man.

He was easily 6'10" with bulging muscles everywhere on his body. His skin was fair and clean, except for a scar on his neck and a scar next to his left eye. I could also see several on his hands. His piercing brown eyes stared at me. He looked like he was ready to run a marathon in a tight sports jacket and gym shorts. If I had to sum him up in one word, it would be 'powerful.'

He gazed intently for a while before bursting into a big smile, "Hey, I'm Logan.

* * *

Unknown Location, Kalos Region (Night)

Brock breathed heavily, finally free of the dungeon he found himself in. He undid the chains around his GIMP uniform and rubbed his sore body. He relished in the clean air and screamed, "Freedom!"

* * *

 **Well let's ignore that last part! Anyways, thanks to RPD490 for the OC and don't forget that I'm still accepting them so leave them in a review or PM me.**

 **So I should probably explain that last chapter because a bunch of you seem really confused. So that chapter was supposed to be my April Fools chapter consisting of intense randomness and general crack adventures. But then some family stuff happened that delayed me, so I released it on 4/20 instead since that was close enough to April Fools in my mind. The stuff that happened in that chapter was 100% canon though, so don't think of it like a one-shot comedy bit. It was just an extremely random, comedic chapter. You aren't supposed to understand it. You're just supposed to laugh at the overwhelming suffering and randomness that Jayden goes through.**

 **Anyways, enough of that. Review! Leave some legitimate criticism and be brutally honest. Be a critical dominatrix. Make me your literary bitch!**

 **I'll stop now.**


	12. Dawn of the Hunter

**I'm alive and well. I got a new puppy and he's been…well he's been an asshole. But he's my asshole…not literally…or really figuratively cuz that doesn't make too much sense either.**

 **.**

 **..**

 **…**

 **Shit, I've wrote myself into a corner. I'm gonna try to be more serious…kinda**

 **Thanks to jordanlink7856, TornadoF6, RPD490, Chinotaki, Cutesaralisa, and Harsh Reality for reviewing. Particularly the last guy. No joke. I appreciate the harsh criticism. Although, some specific examples would help.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. If you thought I did, kindly go back to your conception and abort yourself.**

 **Unless you're pro-life, in which case I'll assume you have a brain abnormality and don't realize how little you are affected by abortions. See? Political commentary? I can be serious if I want to.**

 **TBH you probably skipped this part. Whatever. I do this for shits and giggles. Figuratively ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Dawn of the Hunter  
**

Cyllage City, Kalos Region (Morning)

 _Jayden's POV_

I twiddled my thumbs nervously. I was currently sitting on my bed in the Pokémon Center, watching Ash and Logan meditate opposite one another on the floor. After meeting Logan last night, Ash fell asleep again, allowing the two of us to interact. Although, we didn't really talk much. I mostly just said hi to his Pokémon, who I hadn't seen in a long time. _I guess there's still some tension after what happened._

This morning, Logan decided to try diagnosing the problem by linking his mind to Ash's. I could faintly sense the glimmer of telepathic conversation between the two, but I didn't dare listen in. _Ash has my gloves, but without them, I might activate the seal on my body. And that would suck ass._

"You wanna help me listen in?" I asked Riolu while he sat adjacent to me. He nodded and placed his paw over mine. He closed his eyes and the appendages on his head lifted. Suddenly, Ash and Logan's voices appeared in my mind.

"I'm picturing an ocean. Do you see it? Can you see it?" Logan said.

Ash shook his head, "I can hear something moving, but I don't see anything."

Logan frowned, "Why don't you imagine an ocean? See what you can do."

Ash frowned, "I…I can't. I can't think clearly. There's too much noise. Too much interference."

Logan sighed and broke out of the telepathic link. He moved next to Ash, patted his shoulder and spoke, "It's okay. Don't strain yourself past your limits. I know what to do."

Ash grinned and stood up, "Really? Awesome! What're we gonna do?"

Logan smiled, "You're gonna learn to throw a punch."

Ash fell anime-style, "What?! That's it? Come on, I thought you were supposed to be good!"

I sweat-dropped, "He means with aura, dingus." Ash turned to me, confused. I elaborated, "You're gonna use aura to make your punch stronger."

Ash turned to Logan, who was nodding in agreement of my description, "Wait, why do I need to learn that?"

Logan explained, "Your body isn't listening to your mind right now. You're not opening yourself up to any stimuli, but your body doesn't know how to turn off your Aura Sense. We can solve this by training you to command your body, hence the Aura Punch."

Ash nodded, "Okay, but _how_ do I make an aura punch? Jayden said manipulation was way down the line for my training."

Logan shrugged, "You haven't learned any of that yet? I could teach you in a couple hours, maybe. It should be that easy for me to knock this stuff out." I sweatdropped. _You think you could do better? It's not easy, asshole._ As if he heard me, Logan winked at me.

Ash smiled, "Alright!" He was about to race out the door, but Logan called him back at the last second.

"Wait! Those gloves: you should remove them." Logan looked at me and smiled. I raised an eyebrow. _Does he know that I need them?_ Ash complied, handing me back my gloves before walking out for real. However, I saw Ash's movements slow down, hindered by the weight of his uncontrolled transformation. I slipped the gloves on, feeling a pang of guilt for taking them back. _Sorry Ash, but it'll be over soon._

Logan started walking out, but paused in the doorway, "Hey, umm. I know we didn't really talk much last night, but I feel like we need to have some sort of conversation. About…everything."

I was taken aback. _What?_ He _wants to have a conversation with_ me _?_ "I guess we should. After everything's settled with Ash." Logan nodded and left the room. I sighed and sat back. _That wasn't the easiest thing I've done._ Pika walked over to me and nuzzled my fingertip. Riolu also patted my shoulder. I smiled at them, grateful for their support.

Suddenly, I heard a knock on my door. I opened it up, revealing a trio of very worried females. I raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"

May blurted, "Brock's been missing for days now, but we can't find him. You need to help us!"

"Didn't he run off with that crazy cultist or something? He's probably dead at this point." I smirked when I said the last part, trying to be darkly humorous.

Apparently Dawn thought it was too dark and I soon found myself cradling my skull while she rested a large mallet on her shoulders.

"I'M BLEEDING! OHMYGOD I'M DYING! YOU BITCH! YOU KILLED ME!" I screeched, agony coursing through my pulsing cranium.

Serena kneeled next to me, "If you don't want her to hit you again, you'll help us. Cuz we haven't eaten a proper meal in a long time, right? You'll be a good boy, won't ya?" I nodded, begrudgingly. May then helped me up. I grabbed my Pokéballs, returned Riolu and put Pika on my shoulder.

We exited the Pokémon Center, entering the bustling streets of Cyllage City. "Jayden, can you sense him?" Dawn asked.

I shrugged, "I'll try." I activated my Aura Sense. I had a clear view of everything in about a 4-mile radius. _Let's see if he's in the area._

I carefully scanned the city, the hills and even the caves. However, nothing popped up. Then I detected a faint signal from outside my field of view. It was a male adult and he was terrified. But I couldn't pinpoint his exact location, but I knew he was somewhere on Route 7, just beyond the Connecting Cave.

 _That's as close to a clue as I've got._ "I found someone on Route 7. If we run, we should make it in an hour."

Dawn shook her head, "I can fly on Togekiss. She can take two other people too. It'll be a lot faster than running."

I raised an eyebrow, "But then who do we leave behind: May or Serena?" The girls looked at me with incredulity. The truth slowly dawned on me. "Oh. Damn. I'm the odd one out?" They nodded. I sighed, "Fine."

Dawn called out Togekiss and the three girls all clambered onto her back. "We'll meet you on Route 7. Try not to take too long!" May giggled.

Serena yelled as Togekiss took off, "Last one there's a Slowpoke!"

I huffed as they left my field of view. Then, a grin stretched across my face. I turned to Pika on my shoulder, "We haven't tried the Sidestep in a while. Up for a go?" Pika cheered and gripped me tightly, causing me to smile.

I ran behind the Pokémon Center for a secluded space. I scanned the area and found nobody near me. I got into a runner's stance, my palms supporting me on the ground, my legs bent and at the ready. I took a deep breath. _Here goes!_

As I pushed off, I activated my Aura Sense. I attuned my aura to match the ambient energy. Then, I suddenly found the world a blur as I raced past miles of sandy beaches, rocky hills and grasslands.

While I ran, I noticed Ash and Logan practicing their punches on a rock formation off Route 8. They were currently suspended mid-punch while I moved at speeds far beyond their comprehension. A mischievous grin broke on my face; I dashed over and gave Logan a mighty flick on his cheek. A ripple formed on his face, emanating from the point of impact. _Not so easy to be a teacher, is it?_

I ran away, this time running up and around the rocky hills of Connecting Cave's exterior. After a minute, I saw Togekiss high in the sky. She was moving at a noticeable rate, which was impressive considering how fast my perception was. But I could do better. I braced myself even more and took off faster than before.

Almost instantaneously, the opening to the cave came into view. _Here's the hard part._ I tried to slow down gradually. Didn't work. I braked a bit too hard and ended up destabilizing myself and tumbling down the pathway. _Well that hurt like shit._

"How're you, Pika?" Pika's face was green and his expression blank. I raised an eyebrow and poked his stomach, "You good buddy?" In response, he fell off my shoulder onto the ground, where he lay, completely motionless. _Well, that's pretty conclusive._

I sat down and took a breather from the run. _That was pretty fun. I haven't done that since Lumiose City and even then, I didn't run quite like this. I wonder how badly I beat the girls?_

On que, Togekiss shot down in front of me, landing fast, but gracefully. The trio got off and stretched. However, they were all looking in the direction opposite me. _Did they see me?_

Dawn laughed, "Ha! We won!" She raised both of her hands for a high five, to which May and Serena complied.

I smiled mischievously. Sneaking up from behind, I whispered, "I like your skin. I can't wait to try them on." They jumped so high, I'm pretty sure they could've traveled back to Cyllage City in that single bound.

"That wasn't funny, Jayden!" Serena chastised me, clutching her heart. I couldn't hear her over laugh. Pika was getting a kick out of it too, although not as much considering he still felt sick.

"Yea, yea. Laugh it up. How did you even beat us?" Dawn asked.

Before I could answer, May responded for me, "That super speed thing, right? I saw a green streak, but I didn't know if it was real or just my mind playing tricks on me."

I nodded, "Yea. I would've been here a lot earlier, but I made a little detour."

Dawn raised an eyebrow, "What detour?"

* * *

Cyllage City, Kalos Region (Morning)

"Logan? Logan? Are you okay? What happened?" Ash asked his unconscious mentor.

Somehow, Logan had been sent flying into a tree without warning. Logan was currently clutching his face and mumbling something.

"I can't hear you. What're you saying?" Ash knelt close to try and get a better angle to hear.

"Damn you, Jayden" Logan whispered, his jaw slack and bruised.

* * *

"Nothing important." I waved away Dawn's question. I quickly activated Aura Sense to distract her from her inquiry. The world appeared as normal, but it was fuzzy and distorted, almost like an unfocused camera lens under water. "I can sense Brock. But…it's weird. Something's wrong. I can't pinpoint his location. I can't pinpoint anyone's location."

Serena raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean? Is your Aura Sense broken?"

I shook my head, "No, but something's interfering with it." I deactivated the ability, "I can't get a clear signal. All I know is that he's either inside this cave or he's in the forest at the foot of this hill."

May replied, "I guess we should split up to cover more ground. I'll go with Serena to the bottom and Dawn and Jayden can search Connecting Cave."

I nodded, "Okay, boss. Ready to go, Dawn?" She nodded and we started to walk up the path towards the entrance. After a few steps, I stopped, "Wait. Take Riolu. I doubt he can get a better signal than me, but it should help a bit." I released my small blue jackal and instructed him to guide May and Serena before I left with my partner.

Once inside the cave, I felt a chill. The wind made an ominous whooshing sound. Then I heard a creepy call. Dawn clung to me for warmth and protection.

That's a lie. I was holding her for dear life. "This is bad. This is very bad." I murmured. _Without my aura sense, I feel completely exposed. Just knowing it was there was nice. Now that it's not, it's a scary thought._

Dawn broke the tense silence, "It's gonna be okay, Jayden. No need to worry."

"You say that, but I don't think you know what that means. We're walking into a scary cave filled with Arceus-knows-what, I'm essentially blind, and our friend may or may not be alive after being kidnapped by psychotic cultists. We have every need to worry."

Dawn grumbled, "Just trying to help you. Where should we even go?"

I shrugged, "I have no idea. Pika, you smell anything?"

Pika shrugged, before suddenly perking up, "Pika? Pikachu! Pika pikachu chu!" He darted off towards dark corner and we followed.

"Where are you taking us?" Dawn asked, but Pika didn't respond, just continuing to lead us into a strange unknown. Then, we saw it.

Two cultists dressed in those nefarious robes, bowed down in front of a rock. The rock had a faint nautilus shape to it, but it was no fossil. _I don't think they particularly care, to be honest._

"Welcome travelers. Care to hear about the glorious powers of the Helix Fossil?" The cultists spoke in unison. They then lifted their heads from bowing before stumbling in surprise, "Y-you?! The infidels! You must be vanquished! Death to the nonbelievers!"

The cultists pulled rocks out from a magical pocket inside their robes ( _Seriously, where do they keep them_ ) and started hurling them at us. _I guess they remember us from Ambrette Town._

"Ow! Pika, Electro Ball." Pika jumped high up, extended his tail, and launched a powerful sphere of lightning at the cultists, knocking them aside. However, the cultists quickly got up and made a mad dash for Dawn and I, moving surprisingly fast.

One of them grabbed me in a death grip, quickly stringing his arm around my neck and putting me into a choke hold. I felt my neck muscles strain under his grip. _Dammit!_ Instinctively, I pumped aura into my fist, grabbed his shoulder from behind and ripped him off of me before throwing him into the other cultist attacking Dawn. The two of them went flying back into a nearby wall.

Before they had a chance to recuperate, I delivered an Aura Kick to the knee of one cultist and the back of the other. The former started crying in pain as his bone cracked while the latter fell unconscious from the blunt force

I sighed in relief, "Phew. That was unexpected."

Dawn looked at me with incredulity, "You think?" I laughed at her smarminess. She shook her head, "You have any idea if Brock would be here, considering the cultists and all?"

I shrugged, "Probably not. We should keep going though, in case there are any more cultists that need dealing with."

Dawn groaned, "Why do I feel as if this is going to end badly."

* * *

Route 8, Kalos Region (Late Morning)

 _May's POV_

"Brock?" I yelled into the abyss of trees. Serena and I were doing our best to track Brock down while Riolu meditated to find him. Unfortunately, he was running into the same problems with his Aura Sense as Jayden.

"Anything?" Serena called a few hundred feet to my left. I shook my head sadly and resumed.

"Brock? Brock?! You there?" Silence. Just silence.

 _This is hopeless. We're never gonna find him at this rate._ On cue, Riolu perked up and ran off towards a clearing deep in the woods.

There, we saw a makeshift tent made out of leaves stitched together into sheets propped by several branches. And inside the tent was…whatever remained of Brock.

His hair was unkempt, dirty and tangled with twigs. His clothes were missing; all he wore was a leather thong and a leather vest. He looked like shit.

"Brock? Is that you?" I asked.

He turned to me, apparently just waking up, "May? You're a sight for sore eyes."

 _Do you even have eyes?_

"Are you okay? What happened to you?"

Brock stretched while laying down, "I got kidnapped. I escaped. I got lost. I figured someone had to save me sooner or later."

I raised an eyebrow, "You're being very nonchalant about this."

He shrugged, "Eh, it's happened before a long time ago. But Professor Ivy was so much worse than these guys. They were lightweights compared to her." He shivered, "But that's besides the point." Then he stood up.

 _Is that…oh dear._ "Umm…Brock?"

He looked at me quizzically, "Yes? What's up?"

My face was bright red, "Your umm…you know it's really not important."

Brock looked a little annoyed, "What? What is it? Just tell me."

"It's just that…your uhh…"

Serena then walked in, "Brock! It's so good to see…your penis!"

Brock looked taken aback, "What? What're you saying, Serena? What's going on?"

I swallowed my pride, "Brock, your…lower garment…umm" I pointed down until he looked. With a look of embarrassment more cringe-worthy than the 'Damn Daniel' meme, Brock readjusted himself and turned away.

"Please don't tell Jayden." He whispered softly. Serena and I both agreed, not wanting to ever think of this situation again.

"Why don't we head back? Sound good?" Serena and Brock both nodded in agreement and we started to walk back towards the spot where we arrived.

Once we got there, we ran into a very disheveled Dawn and Jayden. "Hey guys." Jayden said meekly.

"Glad to see you Brock." Dawn said nonchalantly, too exhausted to show emotion.

Serena raised an eyebrow, "What happened to you guys? You look terrible."

Jayden answered, "Ran into some cultists. Many, MANY cultists. Took care of them. My knuckles hurt."

Dawn added, "My mallet hurts." I waited for a smarmy retort, but nothing happened. _Wow, Jayden's too tired to even make a snarky comment about that._

Brock smiled, "I'm glad to see that I'm not the weirdest one here."

Jayden smirked and weakly responded, "Don't count yourself out of the running just yet, Brocko. I like the GIMP suit. It works for you." _Okay, so he's not THAT tired._

Dawn yawned, "Can we please go now? I need a shower desperately." We all nodded so she sent out Togekiss. "Okay Brock, just grab her feet."

Jayden perked up, "Wait, so I could've tagged along the first time around?" Dawn giggled and nodded. Jayden frowned, "Wow. Rude." Then he took off at super speed.

Within several minutes, everyone was back at the Pokémon Center. Dawn, Jayden, and Brock went to shower. Serena went to get some therapy for what she saw today. After all, not every day you see something so… **you know what, I don't even know what to describe it like**.

I on the other hand, went toward Ash and Logan's training by the rock walls. _I bet they're doing something really awesome. Maybe they're breaking bricks with their mind. Or they're climbing the wall with only their feet. Or maybe they're…sleeping._

Logan was passed out on the ground, a huge bruise stretched across his face. Ash was on his back, but he was almost writhing. His eyes were clenched shut and his teeth were gritted.

"Ash? Are you doing okay?" I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He turned his head away, "It hurts, May! It's killing me and I can't make it stop! Logan can't help me and Jayden can't help me. It feels like my head's on fire!" He groaned and clutched his head.

 _Oh my…_ I placed my hands on his head and took him into a hug, "It's okay, Ash. You're gonna be fine. I know it." I pulled away, but repositioned my hands to the sides of his head "Just focus on me, okay? Tune everything out. Just focus on me and my voice. That's all. You can do that, can't you?"

Ash took a deep breath, sat up, and nodded, "Yea. I think so." He placed his hands over mine and continued to breathe deeply. In and out. In and out. Soon, his facial expression relaxed, as did his grip. He exhaled deeply once more and smiled, "Okay. I think I'm good. Thank you, May."

He opened his eyes and flashed me his signature smile. But his eyes flickered blue for a moment. _Woah._ I started staring deeply into his eyes. _I never realized how auburn they are. They're kinda pretty._ Unconsciously, my face was moving closer and closer to his. I only caught myself when I was a few inches from his face. I pulled back with such sudden force that I fell back. _Oww!_

I sat up while Ash laughed. "Ha! Smooth move." Pikachu was even laughing.

I playfully huffed, "Well I never!" I pushed him down.

He landed on his backside and froze. He looked me dead in the eyes, "This means war." Then he tackled me.

* * *

Connecting Cave, Kalos Region (Noon)

 _Third Person_

After those teenagers defeated them and fled the cave, the cultists decided to regroup and rethink their plan of attack on the infidels of the world. But then, someone showed up.

She was unfamiliar, but her long black trench coat was not unlike their own robes. But instead of a hood, she wore a black visor over her eyes. And some device on her person was whirring like a machine.

"Who are are you? Are you a member of our order?" a young member asked.

The stranger stood silent for a moment. Then, she lifted her hand to the side of her visor and pressed a button. A blue image appeared on the lens. It looked like a radar of some sort.

She silently observed the cultists and the surrounding, turning her head around to scan everything. She did not speak for a long time, causing a great level of anxiety for the cultists.

Then she spoke, her voice as calm and collected as ever, "There was an Aura Guardian here. It looks like most of you ran into him. There are trace signals everywhere. But they're faint. Where are they?"

An older cultist retorted, "Why should we tell you anything."

"It's not smart to stand against me. Now tell me."

Another cultist smirked, "Why should we? There's thirty of us and just one of you."

The mysterious woman smirked, "I'm guessing you don't know. Oh well then." With that, her visor separated into several plates, forming itself over her face into a mask. Then, she extended her right arm, revealing a metal cannon in place of her hand. Suddenly, everyone present knew what made that whirring sound.

The cultists ran away as a neon-red beam of energy sliced through them. Some made a dash for her while she was focused on others. However, her mask made a rapid beeping sound and she quickly brought her arm around her head in a circular pattern, killing all of her would-be assailants.

A few remained after her initial assault, but only one was uninjured. The woman stalked all of the injured cultists, slaughtering them with direct shots to vital organs. Then, she turned her attention to the unharmed cultist, the last of them all.

She smiled maliciously, "You're the only one left. I would hate to have to ruin a good specimen like yourself." She dragged her fingertips along the edge of his face. His eyes were wide with fear as he trembled.

"I-I don't know f-for sure. All I know is that they were headed towards Cyllage City. Please, that's everything!"

The woman smiled and walked away. Then she stopped in her tracks and rotated her right arm. A smoking red cartridge fell from a slot. She then reached into her coat, pulled out a shiny yellow cartridge, and slid into her cannon arm. Without warning, she fired a yellow beam at the last cultist, turning him into stone.

Smiling, the woman walked back to the cultist and twisted her right arm, turning the cannon back into a hand. She then clutched his neck and crushed it, brutally and bloodlessly decapitating him.

Now grinning, Hunter J walked out of the now bloodied cave.

* * *

 **Bam! Now that was a chapter! Not really. It was okay, I think. I liked the ending though.**

 **But who cares what I think? I wanna know what you think!**

 **What's that? How can you do tell me what you think?**

 **By reviewing, of course!**

 **Just leave a review telling me what you liked, what you didn't like, and what you want to see in the future. You could even leave me with an OC of yours and they will (probably) be used in the story.**

 **K bye**


	13. Day of the Hunter

**No AN today. Just gonna get on into it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. But you knew that.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Day of the Hunter**

Cyllage City, Kalos Region (Evening)

 _Jayden's POV_

 _Oh god. Oh yes! Yea, that's what I like. Mmhmm, yea! I just want you inside of me._

I took another bite of Brock's stew. After being rescued, he was grateful enough to make an awesome meal in the local park. Which made me feel hot all over.

Ash was already five bowls in. May was in second with four. I trailed behind at two. _I need to step my game up._

Dawn and Serena barely seemed interested in eating: they were busy gawking at Logan and his huge-ass arms.

"So Logan, what do you do?" Dawn asked, batting her eyelashes.

Logan politely sipped the broth, "Well, my official job is a park ranger for the Sinjoh Ruins. But I really use it as a front to protect old Aura Guardian sites."

Serena didn't give him a second to breathe, "So you're like really into history, huh?"

Logan shrugged, "Yea, I guess so. It's an interesting subject."

Dawn giggled and twirled her hair, "Wow. That's so cool!" She subtly clenched his arm, earning a glare from Serena.

It took a strenuous amount of willpower not to laugh. I turned to Ash and May to avoid an outburst, only to see them engaged in an intense eating competition. _Oh god. I'm surrounded by idiots._

Finally, I turned to Brock, "So how you holding up? Considering…everything."

Brock waved his hand, "Oh, I'm fine. Sure it was terrifying and scarring, but it's certainly not my first time being held hostage as a sex slave for a demonic cult." He laughed loudly while I sweatdropped. _What the hell has he been through?_

I resolved to continue eating my stew since everyone around me was completely insane. Pika tugged at my sleeve and pointed at Logan, "Pika. Chu pika Kachupi."

"I can't talk to Logan. Not now at least. There are people."

Pika put his paw on his face, "Pi kachu. Pi chu Kachupi ka pi."

I sighed, "Fine." I got up and tapped Logan on the shoulder, "Hey…can we talk now?"

Logan looked surprised, but remembered our agreement earlier and got up. He probably wanted to escape Serena and Dawn's advances too. As we left, I could feel them mentally throwing daggers at me for stealing him away. I turned to Pika, who flashed me a thumbs up from the picnic bench. I nodded at him and continued to follow Logan.

We walked over to a small clearing a few hundred feet away from the rest of the gang. Then we just stood around silently.

After a few minutes, I spoke up, "So…how've you been?"

Logan shook his head, "You already asked me that yesterday when we first ran into each other."

I huffed, "Fine. Then…how's Leah?"

Logan seemed surprised at my mention of his daughter, "She's fine. She's still with her mother."

I nodded, "You haven't talked to them?"

He shook his head, "Not since I sent them away. Her mom can protect her better than I ever could. I just attract danger."

"Hmm." I thoughtfully nodded, "I'm sorry, man. That sucks."

"Yea, no kidding." Logan thought for a second before asking, "How's your family? You talked to them at all?"

I shook my head this time, "No. I don't know how I can. After what happened to my dad…it's hard to go home. I've been living in Macrocosm City for a while. Took up a job as the Frontier Brain's assistant. Pays well and it's a good place to keep tabs on them."

Logan nodded, "What about your grandfather? I doubt he'd let-"

"He's NOT my grandfather. Not anymore."

Logan threw his hands up, "Sorry. Did Ryu just let you go?"

I shook my head, "I doubt it. He's probably keeping tabs on me, trying to make sure I don't go ape-shit again. I haven't seen him, but I guess that's to be expected." I then held up my hands, showing off my gloves, "Did you know about these? You told Ash to give them back to me this morning."

Logan nodded, "Ryu told me about them while you were in the coma. He said they're supposed to limit how much aura you can call upon at a time."

"Hmm. Did he tell you about the seal?"

Logan's eyebrow shot up, "What seal?"

I channeled aura into my thumb, making it glow green. Then I lifted my shirt and pressed my thumb against my chest. Immediately, a fiery symbol appeared over my torso, revealing the seal.

"Oh my god." Logan examined the seal carefully, "This is strong. This is dangerously strong. What's it supposed to do?"

I pulled my shirt down, "I don't really know. Ryu never told Riolu about it, either. I think it's a backup in case I ever took the gloves off. I tried to use aura without them once and it made me deathly sick."

Logan put his hand to his chin, "I don't know. I haven't heard of a seal like that before. At least, not one that's placed directly on your body. But I've seen that pattern before. I'll look into it, later."

"Thanks. So…umm…" There was one question I wanted to ask, but I couldn't since I knew what he'd say. But I had to, "Have you found anybody else? Any surviving Aura Guardians?"

Logan sighed, "No. Nobody besides who we already confirmed."

I lowered my head. _Dammit. Why did I ask that? It's not like I would've gotten a different answer. Everyone's dead. I have to accept that._

"But there are rumors."

I perked up, "What? Rumors?"

Logan nodded, "Mmhmm. Whispers of surviving Aura Guardians. Even more than that, there are some people who say they've seen others with strange abilities."

My eyes widened, "You mean there are Aura Sensitives we don't know about?" Logan nodded, causing a grin to break out on my face, "That's awesome! There's hope for us yet!"

Logan laughed at my grin, "There's something I haven't seen in a while."

 _Man. This is a good day._ Naturally, my day had to get much worse.

Logan and I suddenly turned our heads to the sound of a bloodcurdling scream.

"What was that?" I asked while we started to run towards the sound.

"I don't know." Logan then closed his eyes, "I can't really sense anything either. It's coming out all fuzzy. It's like I'm being blocked."

I raised an eyebrow, "Really? The same thing happened to me when we were at Route 8. I couldn't get a clear signal on anything."

"What? What's going on?"

"I don't know, but I bet we're gonna regret getting involved."

We exited the park and stepped into what must've been a hellhole. There were bodies everywhere. Some were intact with gaping holes that smoldered like ashes. Some were sliced up into bits and pieces. And others were petrified; literally turned to stone.

"Holy shit." I whispered.

Logan's eyes were wide open, "What the hell? How did this happen?"

I scanned the bodies, "I don't see any blood. It's like whatever killed them tore them apart and cauterized them at the same time."

Logan nodded, "Yea. The wounds resemble those caused by thermal weaponry. But the precision makes me think it was something small. Handheld."

"I get the feeling that whatever did this is related to our Aura Sense not working."

Logan tapped his chin thoughtfully, "I don't know. You said it wasn't working at Route 8, but you didn't see anything like this, right?" I shook my head. "For now, you should just try to find your friends. I'll stop whoever did this."

I raised an eyebrow, "You sure you can handle this on your own?"

We looked at each other before bursting out in laughter. "Yea right. See you, Jayden." Logan dashed off, following the trail of bodies.

I ran back to the picnic area, "Ash! Brock! May! Serena? Dawn? Pika? Where are you?" There was no response. I made it to where we set up shop, but the table was completely clear. The cooking supplies were all packed up and gone. Even my bag was gone.

 _Dammit! That had my Pokéballs in them! Now I don't have any backup. Great._ I started walking back to the Pokémon Center. But after a while, my head started to ring. _God, what is that? It feels like a Combee's inside my ear._

The ringing just kept getting louder and louder. It wasn't painful but it was annoying. I crouched down and swatted at my ear. _What's going on? Is there some bug on my head or something?_

My question was answered soon enough as a heavy boot connected with the side of my head. I flew back several feet and landed hard. _Well then, I'm in trouble._

I opened my eyes just in time to roll out the way to avoid another kick. I hastily stood up to face…an old woman. She wore a black trench coat, a visor made up some sort of computer screen, and a metal gauntlet.

"Umm…hello there." I said, getting into a ready position.

The woman smiled, but there was a malice to it. Like Cinderella's stepmom malice.

"Who're you? Why'd you kick me?" I asked hesitantly. I was getting majorly bad vibes off of her.

She just kept smiling. _What is her deal?_

"Alright, I'm about to blow you to Kingdom Come if you don't answer me." I formed a green aura sphere to punctuate my point.

This time, she spoke, "I wouldn't. It won't work."

I smirked, "Why not give it a go?" I sent the sphere flying, but it barely went two feet before completely vanishing.

"Umm… that's never happened to me before. I mean, performance issues aren't uncommon, right? One out of five?" I was joking, but inside, I was terrified. _This is bad. This is very very bad._

The woman smirked, "Your blasts won't work on me Guardian. I know how to deal with your kind."

I smiled, "Well honey, as luck would have it, I'm no Guardian." I dashed at her, fist extended towards her face.

She effortlessly side stepped.

 _Okay then._ I stopped and crouched down, performing a spinning low kick to catch her off balance. But she leaped over my foot.

 _Fine. Have it your way._ I used the momentum from my last kick to spin again, this time rotating quickly and elevating my other leg to collide with her chin. She took the attack head on ( **pun intended** ) and fell back a few feet.

"Wow. That was pretty fun." I smirked, confident that I could win.

The woman started to laugh, however. She stood up and kept laughing. It was more of a roaring laugh than anything else, "Wow. I haven't been hit like that in years. Not bad, kid." She then rolled up her right sleeve, revealing not a metal gauntlet, but a metal arm. "But playtime's over."

Her visor sort of unfolded, stretching to cover her entire face. The screen display lit up, glowing with several flashing lights and icons. The metal hand started whirring before transforming into a cannon-shape. The hole started to glow bright red.

 _Hmm…I suddenly know what killed those people._ I ducked just in time to avoid a powerful beam of red energy cutting above me. I turned to see rows upon rows of trees fall down, sliced perfectly. _Damn. She doesn't play._

"You've already survived way longer than most. But it's over."

She made a circular movement with her arm and then fired again. I jumped to avoid it, but this time, the blast was concussive, sending me flying back. I groaned, momentarily down for the count.

"W-why are you doing this?"

She shrugged while walking over to me, "I was hired to deal with threats like you. A few weeks ago, I found a clearing in a forest off of Aquacorde Town that had been blown apart by some sort of blast. I detected a trace of aura, so I've been tracking the signal ever since. And it led me to you. But I had to make you come to me, fight me on my terms."

 _That clearing. That's from when I was testing my powers without the gloves._ My eyes opened wide, "So all of this violence was to drag me out of hiding?"

"Not totally. I probably would've killed all those people anyways." She then held her cannon arm to my head, "Goodbye."

I growled, now effectively pissed off, "My blasts won't work, but will a punch?" Before she could answer, I used my Sidestep to speed past her. On my way, I punched her arm as hard as I could. _If a flick could knock Logan out, then that should do some real damage._

I stopped about twenty feet away. The woman look startled at my disappearance, but it was too late: her cannon was already firing. Unfortunately for her, it was also missing the actual cannon part: the attachment was shattered, revealing the energy core powering the device.

"No!" the woman screamed as her arm detonated, sending her flying back.

I walked over to her unconscious body. She was alive, but her arm was completely destroyed, leaving no trace of its existence besides a smoking crater for a shoulder.

"Go me." I smiled and started to walk away to find a police officer.

Then something behind me shuffled and I heard her say, "Oh no. I don't let a target get away that easily. I'm gonna enjoy tearing you to shreds." I turned around just in time to get hit with a yellow energy beam.

I wasn't thrown back or hurt. I actually felt fine. In fact, my body stopped hurting from that kick and concussive blast from before. Actually, I couldn't feel my body. I couldn't feel anything.

"What did you do to me?" I tried to speak, but my mouth wouldn't move.

The woman walked over and grinned, placing her left arm back at her side, "I do have two arms, sweetie. You like this? It's my personal favorite: petrification. Great for transporting difficult cargo. But I've found it to be particularly useful for target practice."

She lined up her other cannon arm at my head and grinned, "Bye bye."

 _Shit!_ The hole started to glow red. _Holy shit. Holy shit. Is this it? No way! Come on, think. Think!_

Right as she fired, three spheres collided with her beam: one yellow, one green and one blue. _Electro Ball, Energy Ball and Aura Sphere. That means…_

Riolu, Grovyle and Pika leaped in front of me and growled at the assailant. Then, May appeared with Blaziken and Dawn with Buneary.

"You're done Hunter J! Blaziken, Overheat!" May cried.

"You won't escape this time! Buneary, Ice Beam, max power."

Blaziken's beak released a powerful burst of yellow fire while Buneary shot a beam of ice-cold energy. Hunter J managed to side-step the attacks before dropping a Pokéball, revealing a powerful looking Salamence.

"Salamence, Hyper Beam!" A strong black and purple beam shot out of the pseudo-legendary's maw, forcing Blaziken and Buneary to leap out of the way.

Then, Logan fell from the sky and landed behind Hunter J, a circular shield in his hand, "Go, Aegislash." He butterfly twisted and threw the shield at the same time. Aegislash spun on its axis very fast, the blade providing a powerful cutting edge to the aerodynamic shape of the shield.

Aegislash struck Hunter J square in the back, sending he crashing back. He then slashed at Salamence with Shadow Claw, greatly wounding him.

"This isn't over!" Hunter J growled as she dropped a flashbang. When the light and ringing faded, she and her dragon were gone.

May sighed before turning to me, "Jayden! What happened?"

I tried to talk, but nothing came out.

Dawn tapped me on the arm, "He's rock solid! We need to get him some help."

Logan walked up, "I got this. Don't worry, buddy. I'll have you as good as new." Logan reached into his bag and pulled out a wooden flute.

May raised an eyebrow, "Umm…I don't wanna tell you how to do your job, but that's a flute."

Logan just shushed her and played a slow, calming melody. I felt strength fill my body as the song continued. I quickly regained feeling in my legs, then abdomen, then torso before my head finally came into my control.

"Wow! Thanks bro." I breathed deeply, patting Logan's shoulder in thanks.

He didn't say anything besides, "Mmhmm." He smiled slightly.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing" he said nonchalantly, smiling just a bit more now.

"Seriously, Logan. What is it?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." He chuckled. "Everything fine _down there_?"

I raised an eyebrow, "What? I mean, I guess it's fine, but why do you a- I looked down my jeans and screamed, "WHAT THE FUCK?! I NEED THAT!"

Logan burst out laughing, "I bet you wish you didn't flick me earlier, don't ya?"

I grabbed his jacket and pulled him to me, "This ain't funny, you sick bitch. I'm going to end you. You're going to die slowly and painfully!"

Logan grinned, "Aw, but then who's gonna fix it?"

I held onto his jacket before releasing him, hesitantly at that, "Just play the damn song."

Logan smiled, "You should think twice about pranking me." He played a rapid melody and I felt my…Mini Me…turn to normal.

May whispered to Serena, "What happens if he gets turned on while he's…rock hard?"

They giggled, earning a death glare. I grumbled, "This is a pretty shitty day."

* * *

After I cleaned up a bit at the Pokemon Center, we all tuned into the news. However, the program was off while the show tried to get info on what had happened.

"This is taking a while." Serena groaned, painfully bored with waiting around.

Brock nodded, "This isn't exactly an engagingly entertaining environment."

I turned to him, "Dude. Nice alliteration." He flashed me a thumbs-up.

"Guys, shut up. It's coming back on." Ash commanded. After he learned Hunter J was responsible for the attacks, he seemed very intent on taking her down. _Brock mentioned they have a history with her, but what makes her so loathsome? Besides the murderous rampage?_

The main anchor entered the scene and sat at his desk, "Sorry for the delay folks, but we've been getting updates on the crisis down in southern Kalos. At approximately 7:30 this evening, a masked assailant wielding unknown energy-based weaponry attacked Central Avenue in Cyllage City. Currently, the murderer has claimed forty-five victims tonight."

The anchor then put his finger to his earpiece, receiving another update, "This just in…it seems the Kalos Criminal Investigation Unit was dispatched earlier today by King Parfum to look into a grisly scene in Connecting Cave. 32 individuals were found dead, all of them confirmed members of a cult worshipping the Helix Fossil."

The anchorman then made a cross and whispered softly, "Praise be to Omanyte, our true overlord."

I sweatdropped, "Not him too." Then I realized what he said, "Wait a minute. Dawn, those were the guys we ran into!"

He continued, "The KCIU has provided images that supposedly link the two massacres. Viewers be warned: these photographs are extremely graphic."

Then, two images appeared side-by-side. One was familiar: the slaughter on the street. The other was less so. I recognized the deceased. After all, I had beaten them up. But they were killed so brutally. What made it worse, was the sight of one petrified body, the head separated from the rest and the neck nowhere to be seen.

"My god." Dawn whispered, placing a hand over her mouth.

Serena's eyes welled up and she fled into Ash's arms.

I found myself clutching May's hand as both of us went slack-jawed from shock.

Then we heard the anchorman restart his broadcast, "The KCUI has narrowed the suspect list down based on information provided by onlookers. The assailant was described as a woman of average height with spiky white hair, a black coat, a visor and a…a metal arm."

Even the reporter seemed shaken by that statement, "Umm…the prime suspect, at the moment, is none other than Hunter J, the famous bounty hunter and mercenary. Hunter J vanished from the world around 2 years ago after a failed attempt to take control of Legendary Pokémon. Today marks the first time she was seen, supposedly, since then."

"This is insane. She goes AWOL for two years after Lake Valor and then happens to pop back up right where we are? This is too coincidental for my taste." Brock said.

"Doesn't matter. She hurt Pokémon and people today. As far as I'm concerned, that means she's going down." Ash declared.

Dawn raised her eyebrow, "How can be so sure?"

He punched his open palm, "Because I'm going to bring her down myself. Once and for all."

"Ash, we don't even know where she is." May whispered.

He turned to her, dejected. Then, the anchorman spoke up again on cue, "Breaking News! A massive airship has been spotted over Cyllage City. It is currently unclear as to its intent, but its physical characteristics have been confirmed similar to those of an airship used by Hunter J."

I quickly ran outside and looked up. As expected, a large airship made of what looked like several rectangles soared high above us.

 _I wonder._ I scanned it with Aura Sense and much to my surprise, it worked, "Logan! Aura Sense is back on!"

He grinned, "No kidding? That's great. How'd you know it'd work?"

I shrugged, "Just a lucky guess. Maybe there was some sort of jammer on her back that was scrambling our aura sense and stopping all materialized aura attacks."

Logan nodded, "Yea, those are uncommon, but I've seen them before. Since she can't jam us, now's a good time to strike."

Ash nodded, "Let's go!"

* * *

Ash, Dawn, May and I were flying on Togekiss towards the airship. Logan said he would come as soon as helped Brock and Serena evacuate as many people as possible.

We soon landed on the top of the ship. Dawn let us off, "Okay. May and I will keep to the sky and stop any aerial attacks." With that, Dawn, May and Togekiss took off once again.

I turned to my protégé, "Ash, wear my gloves."

He looked at me with surprise, "What? But I won't be able help you if my powers are being limited."

I shook my head, "You have your Pokémon, don't you? Look, Hunter J's trying to kill me because of my aura. Therefore, she'll kill you if she finds out that you have that power too. And I'd rather you be safe than me. I can handle myself."

Reluctantly, Ash slipped the gloves on. I smiled at him. _Good thing he doesn't know I can't use aura without them. He never would've agreed then._

I found a security door, probably for maintenance, "Pika, Iron Tail on this door."

Pika complied and shattered the metal hatch with his glowing tail. I slid down the ladder, checked for any guards before signaling Ash to follow suit.

We walked down the brightly lit hallways, aimlessly wandering towards Hunter J. We got in on the far side of the airship so we hoped that we were going to run into her on the bridge by heading in the opposite direction.

Only problem was a large brigade of armed guards blocking the entrance. Luckily they hadn't seen us while we hid behind a corner. Unfortunately, we had no way to stop them and not get killed. _I could take the gloves, but if J knows we're here, she could find out Ash is Aura Sensitive. Based on how she chased me after Aquacorde Town, I won't let her chase after Ash in the same way._ _I'll have to figure out something else._

Then I had an idea. I whispered to Ash, "I need you to have Froakie soak those guards. And I mean SOAK them."

Ash nodded and called out his water-type, "Use Water Pulse, full blast!" Froakie formed an unusually powerful Water Pulse in his hands and threw it on the unsuspecting guards. As expected, they were totally doused.

"Now, Pika and Pikachu, Thunder!" The two Pikachus jumped out of their trainers' hands and summoned a powerful lightning bolt down from the sky. The electricity shot clean through the ceiling and the floor. And the water just made things worse for them.

We carefully stepped over the guards' unconscious bodies and tried to open the door they were guarding. Key word: tried. After over twenty successive Iron Tails, the door was as solid as ever, albeit some scratches in the paint.

I saw a slot in the wall, "We need a key card to get in." I observed.

Ash searched the guards' bodies, "They don't have anything."

I rubbed my chin, "Hunter J really doesn't want us bothering her. I'm going to go search for some sort of override or something that can get this door open."

"What about me?"

"Stay here. Pika and Honedge will stay with you. I'll try to keep the disturbance to a minimum." I released Honedge so he could protect Ash.

"But I wanna come with you!" He pleaded.

I shook my head, "Not yet. I'm trained for this kind of stuff. I'll be back before you know it. Everything's gonna be okay."

I ran off, leaving my apprentice behind. Right as I turned the corner, an alarm started blaring on the ship. _Well, I'm just lying a shit storm today._

* * *

Cyllage City, Kalos Region (Late Night)

 _Brock's POV_

"Come on! Single-file line everyone!" I cried to the crowd of people trying to flee the city.

"Don't push or shove! Everyone's gonna get their chance." Serena called.

Serena and I were trying to shepherd the people out of the city and into the caves along the hills for safety while Ash, May, Serena and Jayden took care of Hunter J. Logan stood on the roof of the Pokémon Center, observing the whole thing.

I called up, "Do you see anything suspicious?"

He shook his head, "Not yet. But there's some bad juju in the air." He shrugged, "I don't know, I might just be going crazy."

Serena called to me, "Hey Brock, I think this is the last of them!"

It was true: the line of people stopped about a hundred feet from the hills. _Wow. This is working well!_

Then a herd of people added themselves to the line. But they were all wearing black robes and red suits underneath. _What the hell? Cultists?_

The odd people followed the line. As they walked past me, I suddenly felt a chill along my spine, as if something bad was about to happen.

I turned to Logan and pointed at them. He nodded and closed his eyes to use Aura Sense. I waited in suspense, eyeing the robed individuals with a mixture of suspicion and fear. Then, right as the first cloaked member reached the entrance to the cave, Logan opened his eyes.

"Stop!" He threw an Aura Sphere at them, causing a shockwave that knocked many of them back.

One of them pulled a gun out and fired a powerful energy blast at Logan. He formed an energy shield to protect himself, but he was still sent flying off of the roof. Then the same guy pointed the gun at me.

* * *

 _May's POV_

We saw Logan get thrown back by that energy weapon and rocketed off towards Brock and Serena.

"Togekiss, Aura Sphere, max power!" Dawn ordered.

Togekiss's wings started to glow blue as she charged up. All of a sudden, we heard the ship alarm blare loudly. Togekiss came to a screeching halt.

"Oh no. This is bad." I said aloud, fearing for Ash and Jayden.

Then, several hatches opened from the sides of the ship, revealing dozens upon dozens of guns. Row after row of heavy artillery. And all of them were pointing at us.

"Okay. _This_ is bad." Dawn corrected.

A larger hatch opened from the bottom of the ship. A cannon slid down and pointed itself in our direction.

Actually, it was pointed directly at us. It started to charge up with a whirring sound and the opening glowed red like Hunter J's arm cannon.

"Okay, no. This, this is definitely bad." I said, tightly clenching Dawn.

The cannon fired.

* * *

 **That cliffhanger tho! Anyways, I consider this chapter the second in a trilogy consisting of Chapters 12, 13 and 14.**

 **I hope you liked it. If you did, leave a review. If not, leave a bad review.**

 **But furreal, HMU with that feedback. I eat that shit up.**

 **K, bye.**


	14. Twilight of the Hunter

**This is it. Part 3 of the trilogy that was supposed to be one chapter, but then I got scared that it would be too long so I made it into two chapters, but then I wanted to end on several cliffhangers so I made it into three chapters.**

 **Run-on sentences for days, bitches.**

 **Remember that if you want your OC in the story, and God knows I need them, feel free to submit them in a review. Kindly follow the format I have on my profile page so I get all the info I need.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. But my body is ready.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Twilight of the Hunter**

Cyllage City, Kalos Region (Midnight)

 _Jayden's POV_

The alarm sounded off and I heard a whirring sound from within the ship. All of a sudden, the entire craft shook as the whirring sound was overshadowed by a colossal explosion. Then, as suddenly as it all began, the alarm and whirring and shaking all stopped.

 _Well, that's a relief. I thought they knew we were on the ship._

Then the PA system started up, "Attention all crew: Intruder Alert. Repeat: Intruder Alert. Please commence search on the Bridge Deck. Repeat: Please commence search on the Bridge Deck."

I stood completely dumbfounded for a few seconds. _Well…shit._

I peeked around the corner back at Ash, "Hey, Ash. I think we're in trouble."

He raised an eyebrow, "Yea, no kidding. How'd they find us?"

I tapped my chin before eyeing a large scorch mark on the top and bottom of the hallway we were in, "I think that double Thunder attack might've tipped them off."

Ash face-palmed, "Now what?"

I rubbed my chin, "This is the front of the ship. The hallway branches off in two ways. So there are two points where the ship's crew could attack us. If we take either end, then we're fine."

Then I remembered the big metal door behind us; the door to the bridge and to Hunter J,"But Hunter J could sneak up on us while we're preoccupied with the crew."

"That sounds like something she would do. She was always really tricky like that, especially when she knew she could surprise you." Ash commented.

"But would she do that? I mean, Logan broke that aura jammer on her back when he threw his Aegislash. She has to know that I can sense her. Why would she do it then?" Even though I couldn't sense anything without my gloves, I could still tell that I was trying to convince myself of the plan more than Ash.

Ash nodded, oblivious to my handicap, "Okay then. I guess we should get ready."

I gulped. _This is gonna suck._ The sound of charging footsteps resounded around the hallway.

Ash and I looked at each other and nodded, running to our opposite ends. Right as I pulled into the hallway, a crowd of crewmen appeared.

I looked at Pika and Honedge, "Go help Ash. Grovyle, Riolu and Tyrunt can help me." They nodded and ran off to Ash's end of the hallway. I could already hear crashes from his battle.

"Hey, stop right there!" One of the guards yelled, running toward me at full force. I quickly reached into my pockets before pulling my hands out again.

I threw my hands up, "You got me."

They all stopped with a confused look, "What? Really?"

I grinned, "Nope." Then I threw the miniaturized Pokéballs I grabbed earlier at the leading guard. He fell over and in a flash, my three Pokémon appeared ready to go.

Riolu, who heard everything through his aura sense, filled the other two in and quickly got down to Focus Punching his way through the horde.

Tyrunt kicked his leg back like a Tauros before charging at one of the crew, his foot glowing white. The crewman screamed and ran towards the other end of the hallway. But Tyrunt was too quick and he Stomped his back with incredible power, sending the crewman right through the wall and into another room.

Grovyle grinned, excited to fight, "Gro grovyle. Grovyle!" He roared, his Leaf Blade gleaming brightly. With glee, Grovyle dashed around the hallway, knocking back wave after wave of guard.

I sweatdropped a bit, "I guess you've missed this, haven't you, Grovyle." He was too busy beating the shit out of Hunter J's men to acknowledge me.

Then I noticed something: none of the crew had any Pokémon. _That's weird. I thought Hunter J was a bounty hunter. None of her crew have any Pokémon of their own? Not even any stolen ones? That doesn't make sense._

Something glinted in the corner of my eye and I instinctively ducked, narrowly dodging a metal pipe from spilling my brains. _Dammit. I'm in a fight._

The guard swung at me again. This time, I crouched, stuck my left leg out, and pivoted, knocking his feet out from under him. As he fell, I grabbed his head and pushed it against the wall with both hands, knocking him out with an admittedly gross _thud_.

Another crewman ran towards me. While crouched, I jumped into the air, right knee bent and extended. My knee clocked the guard's chin and sent him flying onto his back. Before he had time to recover, I drove my elbow deep into his solar plexus. He was conscious, but he wasn't going to move without a stretcher any time soon.

Three more guards ran into the hallway. I looked around for any help, but all my Pokémon were busy having their own brand of fun.

Tyrunt had a man's head in his jaw and he was just dancing around, swinging the whole man's body while he shrieked.

Grovyle had a guard's neck in a leg lock while he furiously punched the head of another. He had the smile of a psychopath.

Riolu was busy punching another guard's pressure points at super-speed. The guard was convulsing violently while Riolu held an expression I could only describe as serene.

I sweatdropped. _I have some sadistic partners. I should take them to a counselor or a therapist or something._ I side-stepped and pivoted to avoid two simultaneous punches. _Right. I'm getting Zerg-Rushed._

I grabbed one of the guard's throats and threw him into the last guard who hadn't attacked me yet. While they were disoriented, the other guard brought his billy club down in a downward motion. _Too fast!_

I blocked the attack with my forearms, gritting my teeth from the pain. Before the guard could pull back, I seized the end of the club, pulled it away, and then suddenly pushed back, knocking the other end into his forehead and freeing the club. I smashed it against his jaw as he fell, finally knocking him unconscious.

The last two stood back up and charged me simultaneously. I ducked to avoid the one on my right and caught the legs of the one to my left. I stood back up, using my legs to lift his body up and over, throwing him onto his back. Then I quickly pivoted, my arm extended with the billy club, cracking it over the other crewman's head. Finally, I stomped on the last guard's chest, breaking a few ribs along the way.

 _Phew. Glad that's over. Wonder how Ash is doing?_

* * *

 _Ash's POV_

"Pikachu, Electro Ball and Pika, Iron Tail on the Electro Ball!"

Pikachu formed a yellow sphere of lightning on his tail while Pika sent it flying with his metallic one. The Electro Ball took on a silvery aspect and went back and forth between the guards like an extremely painful game of pinball.

"Good work! Froakie, Water Pulse and Fletchinder, you use Flamethrower!"

Froakie and Fletchinder launched their respective attacks, forming a vortex of blue and red energy that devastated the horde of guards headed my way. _Forgot how good that trick was. I should really send Tucker a thank-you letter. Maybe I could introduce him to Harley. That'd be good for the both of them._

"Pikapi!" Pikachu's voice snapped me back to reality.

I rubbed my head, "Sorry, buddy. I got lost in my thoughts. But how about you, Honedge, go…I have no idea what you can do actually. Can you just attack them?"

Honedge nodded vigorously and started spinning on his tip, outlined in bright white energy.

"Woah! A Gyro Ball. That's awesome! Go Honedge!"

Honedge took off like a Beyblade on steroids, knocking back guard after guard. Right as he was about to hit the last few guards, he suddenly stopped and fell over, unconscious.

I sweatdropped, "I guess he doesn't like spinning. Pikachu and Pika, use Thunderbolt!"

The two yellow mice clenched their fists and launched two bolts of lightning directly at the last group of Hunter J's men. They quickly crumpled to the ground.

"Well that was pretty easy. Go us!" We all started cheering and patting ourselves on the back. Then I heard a serious of footsteps on the hallway where we came. Then a chill ran down my spine. A series of whirring sounds came from behind me and suddenly, I couldn't move at all.

Something gripped me around my collar and started dragging me back towards the bridge. As I was dragged, I saw the petrified bodies of the other Pokémon. _Pikachu! Froakie! Fletchinder! Everyone's frozen! That means…_ I started to perspire…or at least, perspire as much as I could, being frozen and all.

I was dragged through the now-open door to the bridge. Once my feet crossed over the threshold, the door slammed shut and I was unfrozen. I quickly scrambled to my feet to come face to face with Hunter J.

I growled, "You! I thought I got rid of you back at Lake Valor!"

She chuckled, "Oh trust me, Ash: you came close. When my airship went down, my body was destroyed beyond repair. I barely made it out alive, which was impressive considering my arms had been ripped off. But then, someone found me. They fixed me. Made me strong again. Stronger than I've ever been."

I stepped back, my back hitting the door, "What do you mean, stronger? Who made you stronger?"

Hunter J chuckled and unbuttoned her coat. It fell, revealing her 'strength.' Her torso was guarded by a tight black tank top, but I could see some blinking lights underneath it.

Her right arm was normal-looking up to the elbow. There, the skin met with some sort of metal device made of several interlocking metal plates to form a forearm and hand.

Her left arm, on the other hand, was completely metal to the shoulder.

Hunter J then grabbed either end of her visor and slipped it off, revealing one metal eye and one green eye, filled with what I could only describe as pure rage.

"Tell me, Ash: do you like your handiwork? Do you enjoy seeing what you've done to me? What I've become?"

I gulped before regaining my composure and growling, "No. I didn't do any of this to you. The Lake Guardians just punished you for what you did. For everyone you've ever hurt. And now, I'm gonna do the same thing." I raised my fists in a ready position, like I'd seen Jayden do a thousand times when we sparred.

Hunter J looked at me and laughed loudly, "Really? You really wanna do this? I don't know if you noticed yet, but I've gotten an upgrade since we last met." She replaced her visor and expanded it into a mask. Then she rotated her arm, changing her hand into a cannon.

I smiled and shook my head, "You don't scare me, J. I've also gotten an upgrade." I removed Jayden's gloves and threw them aside. Then I pumped aura into my fists, outlining them in blue energy. _I should send Logan a thank you letter, too._

This time, J stepped back, "W-what the hell? You're one of them?"

I grinned, "What? Afraid to face me now that it's a fair fight? I knew you were weak, but I didn't think you were a coward."

Hunter J growled, "I'm going to rip your throat out, Ketchum!"

With that, Hunter J fired her arm-cannon.

* * *

 _Brock's POV_

My hands were raised as the robed attacker pointed his gun at me, "You don't have to do this. You know that, right?"

He shook his head, "That's where you're wrong. Perfection necessitates sacrifice." He was about to fire, but then the ship fired some sort of energy beam at the mountain. While the robed guy was distracted, a huge branch collided with the back of his skull, knocking him out.

Serena threw the branch down and grinned, "You good, Brock?"

I nodded. _How the hell did she do that? That thing's massive!_ "I'll be fine. We need to deal with them, though." I gestured to the other attackers who were rampaging around the city, destroying buildings and causing general mayhem.

"You're right about that." A voice behind me said as a thin man with dark skin and impressive black hair appeared on the head of an orange dinosaur.

Serena beamed at him, "Grant!"

I raised an eyebrow, "The gym-leader?"

Grant looked at me, "I don't know who you are, but if you're gonna help me defend my city, then you've got my seal of approval." He flashed me a thumbs-up and commanded, "Tyrantrum, Draco Meteor!"

His dinosaur fired an orange ball into the air, summoning several comets down upon the ground, wrecking more stuff than the terrorists.

Serena and I sweatdropped. "Good try, Grant." She said in an attempt to console the devastated 'defender' of Cyllage City.

Some of the attackers saw us and ran directly for us, guns at the ready.

"Crap! Golem, Rock Blast!" I tossed my Pokéball in the air, revealing my large rock-type. He rapidly fired several balls of white energy at the attackers, each one erupting into several large rocks.

"Fennekin, use Flamethrower!" Fennekin fired a stream of red-hot fire, lighting several robes up.

Another voice behind us shouted, "Alakazam, Psychic!" An Alakazam with glowing blue eyes jumped in front of us and lifted his arms. The guns of several attackers flew out of their hands, levitating from the Psychic. Alakazam then clapped his hands together and the guns collapsed together into one big hunk of metal.

"Good work, Alakazam." His trainer, wearing a red shirt, blue shorts and brown boots, ran up next to him.

"Hey, Zack!" Grant called from Tyrantrum's head.

Zack smiled, "Hey. I saw smoke so I figured there was fun to be had."

Serena looked at him, "Why are you wearing brown boots with those clothes. It looks terrible."

Zack's face grew red, "Why don't you mind your own business?! I'm being a hero right now! Why don't you go wear a longer skirt?" Serena ran towards him and he did the same. Their foreheads met in the middle, pushing back and forth with seething rage.

I laughed, "Maybe we should focus on the bad guys trying to kill us, fair enough?"

Zack and Serena reluctantly stepped away, eyeing each other with hatred.

From behind a building, two trainers ran towards us. One of them wore a white suit and seemed to be hiding behind the other. The second trainer had a blue shirt and camo pants. He also recognized Serena, "Hey, Serena! Long time, no see!"

She stopped giving the evil eye to Zack to grin at the newcomer, "Abel! Hi!" The two hugged quickly before her evil eye resumed, this time aimed at Abel's parasite. "Hello, Cash."

The snotty-looking kid quickly straightened himself up and said in the most pretentious voice, "That's Mr. Money to you, peasant."

After Serena essentially guaranteed Cash could never physically bear children, not that he needed help with that fact, we started forming a game plan.

"Okay, so there are maybe 50 of these guys all around the city. There's 6 of us. So I'll take 10 and then you guys take 8. Sound good?" Grant asked. We all nodded.

Cash squeaked, "I can take all 50." This time, Abel punched him, essentially knocking him out.

"Umm… I guess everyone gets 10 now. We ready?" Grant put his hand in the middle of us all. We stacked our hands and pumped on the third count. "Let's take back my city!"

I ran off towards the Pokémon Center and encountered 4 of the robed guys, "Golem, Earthquake." Golem jumped high and slammed onto the ground, crumpling those guys without a moment's hesitation, "Nice work!"

Then I saw a black track jacket, or what was left of one. It was mostly destroyed from some sort of thermal blast, "Hey, is that…it's Logan's! Where is he?" On cue, a sweet and melodious sound filled the air. Quickly, it changed to a quicker and more energetic beat.

I heard a cry in the sky. I looked up and grinned.

* * *

Cyllage City, Kalos Region (10 minutes beforehand)

 _May's POV_

Togekiss swerved to avoid the airship's cannon, steering so hard to the right that Dawn and I were nearly thrown off.

The energy blast rocketed past us, blowing out a fairly sizeable chunk in the mountain. The cannon on the hull of the airship straightened up and retracted, probably to recharge.

"Wow! Good work, Togekiss!" Dawn said, rubbing her flying-type, "You saved our lives back there."

I smiled before frowning, "But we still have to worry about all those guns." I pointed to the dozens of miniature cannons on the side of the ship that were still aimed at us.

Dawn groaned, "Aura Sphere." Togekiss's wings glowed blue. She arched her back slightly, putting us at an angle, and gave a powerful flap, firing a blue sphere of energy.

The Aura Sphere careened through the air, rocketing through several cannons with ease before exploding, taking a significant number of guns out. The debris fell several hundred feet while the craters where the guns used to be smoked and sparked.

"Alright! Good work, Togekiss!" Dawn cheered for her Pokémon. But Togekiss dipped slightly, "Togekiss? Are you okay?" She was breathing heavily and her eyes were droopy.

"Carrying the both of us, flying around and attacking has to be doing a number on her. Why don't I get off and you keep going? I'll attack from that cliff." I said, pointing to the large rock wall.

Dawn nodded and guided Togekiss a few meters to the side where I hopped off. Togekiss immediately perked up and rocketed back towards the ship.

I smiled. _We're gonna do it, aren't we? We're gonna stop this ship!_ Then I noticed something. _Those guns…they haven't fired yet. What's going on? Why haven't they even started?_

Dawn and Togekiss were shooting for the ship and breakneck speed. All of sudden, a force field appeared around the ship right as they crossed through a certain boundary. The two tried to leave, but before they could turn around, all of the guns fired a single shot each. Only they weren't bullets: they were homing missiles.

"Dawn, the ship has some sort of trip-wire!" I cried.

"Sky Attack!" Dawn cried. Togekiss's body became outlined in crystalline blue energy and she smashed through several missiles unharmed. However, there were still thirty to forty behind them.

"Blaziken and Litleo, come out and use Flamethrower!" Blaziken and Litleo appeared in a flash and unleashed a combined stream of fire directly at Togekiss. Right as she was about to get hit, she dived down, allowing the flames to destroy the remaining missiles.

Dawn flew next to me, "Phew, that was close! I can't believe they tricked me like that!"

I nodded, "But it's just like Hunter J, isn't it? Tricking us into letting our guard down before hitting us like that."

Dawn smiled, "But at least we're safe outside of that force-field, right?" I grinned and nodded.

The big cannon lowered and so did our spirits. "Crap!" I cried.

It aimed right for us.

"Get on, May!" Dawn shouted as I recalled Blaziken and Litleo.

The cannon started whirring.

I clamored on, "Okay, let's go!" Togekiss started to lift off.

The opening at the end of the barrel started to glow red.

Togekiss fell down to the ground and weakly cried.

Dawn screamed, "She's too weak to carry the both of us!"

The cannon's whirring rose in volume as the red light got brighter and brighter.

I grabbed Dawn's hand out of fear. _Is this…there's gotta be a way out._ I searched around, but judging off the size of that last crater, there was nowhere we could run on this cliff that would guarantee our safety.

I clenched my fists and prepared for the worse. I even heard a soft song fill the air. _This isn't so bad. It's like a lullaby._

But the song got more and more energetic. _That's weird. It sounds almost…exciting. Not a very good lullaby._

Then, right as the cannon fired, a streak of blue shot past us, blasting the cannon with a pink and purple attack.

"What the hell?" Dawn asked as the cannon exploded, pieces breaking off and falling down.

The streak made a U-turn and stopped right in front of us. Dawn and I both gasped.

"Holy motherfu-" I said.

"May. Dawn. Meet Latios." Logan said, sitting on the neck of the blue Legendary Pokémon. In his hand was his wooden flute that, for some reason, was smoking a little bit.

"You have a Latios?" Dawn asked, dumbfounded.

Logan laughed, "Latios is my partner. I can summon him by playing the Eon Song on this thing." He waved his flute around to punctuate his point, "But if you'd excuse me, I'm going to go destroy this airship."

With that, Logan pulled a necklace out from under his V-neck. It was a long metal chain with some sort of rainbow-colored gem attached as a pendant. Logan tapped the jewel and it started to glow. Latios then shot off towards Hunter J's ship as he became encased in a multi-colored shell.

Right as the two of them crossed through the force-field, the shell on Latios broke away, revealing his new form. Latios was bigger now and purple. His wings were gone, but his arms had grown in size and now had fins on the side.

"Umm…what just happened?" Dawn asked, dumbfounded.

"I'm guessing that's Mega Evolution." I whispered, awestruck by the display. _I remember Jayden and Prof. Sycamore talking about it, but it's so much more than I imagined._

The guns all fired their missiles at Mega Latios. Without a moment's hesitation, Logan called, "Latios, Psychic!"

Mega Latios's eyes glowed blue and all of the missiles redirected themselves toward their guns. Within seconds, the entire hull was reduced to a smoking, smoldering mess. Mega Latios then flew towards the engines on the back of the vessel.

Logan ordered, "Now use Luster Purge!"

Mega Latios's mouth opened wide, forming a sphere of pink and purple energy. He then fired a powerful beam at the engines, slicing through them easily and making small explosions wherever the attack went.

The ship started to dip and drop as it lost altitude. Unfortunately, it was headed straight down towards the city.

"It's gonna crush the whole place!" I yelled.

"Plus Ash and Jayden are still inside!" Dawn cried.

Logan apparently planned for this as he quickly brought his flute to his mouth and played a quick song that filled everyone hearing it with invigorating spirit. Then, clouds of flying-type Pokémon appeared from the caves below, the oceans, or even the forests north of the city.

The Pokémon all aligned themselves on the bottom of the falling vessel and pushed it up and over, having just enough strength to carry the entire ship to the sea shore where it lay to rest. The flying-type Pokémon then dispersed to their humble abodes.

Mega Latios then flew to us and deposited Logan before taking off again, vanishing into the sky with unprecedented speed.

Logan waved at the blue streak, "Bye Latios! Thanks for your help!" He turned to Dawn and I while we were still speechless from his little display, "Now how's about we save our friends?"

* * *

 _Serena's POV_

"He did it! The sonuvabitch did it!" Abel cried as the airship started sparking, completely disabled on the beach. Immediately after speaking, he dodged a blast from a robed man as his Minun electrocuted his trainer's assailant.

"It's not over yet! My friend and future baby daddy are…I mean…my friends are on that ship!" I head-butted a robed man to hide my frustration at the slip up

"Anyone ever tell you that you're disgustingly violent?" Zack asked while he and his Alakazam dueled a small group of attackers.

"Anyone ever tell you that you're a punk?" I retorted, about to sic Fennekin on his cowboy ass.

"Guys, argue later!" Brock ordered while he and Golem dealt with the last few hoodlums around us.

After we all finished our respective battles, we took a second to breathe, "Hey, I've beaten 10 guys." I said, mentally recounting each altercation.

Brock nodded, "Same here."

Abel also nodded, "Me too."

Zack did the same.

"I've also dealt with my share." Grant said, riding Tyrantrum toward us.

"So we're done!" I said gleefully.

"Umm…not quite." Abel said from behind our backs.

"Huh? What do you m-" Zack asked before stopping, "Oh."

One last attacker had Abel in a headlock and a gun pointed to his head, "Now then. You're gonna return your Pokémon and get on your knees or this child will find his head a bit emptier than it already is."

We all looked at each other and nodded, recalling our Pokémon and dropping onto our knees.

The hooded man chuckled, "Thanks for complying. Now, why don't we start with a lesson on messing with Team F-"

He was cut off by a familiar and grossly unwelcome voice, "Don't worry peasants! I will save you all!"

Cash was running straight towards the man, his arms flailing at his side, earning a big collective sweatdrop.

"Would any of you mind if I just killed him now?" The man asked.

"Nope." Grant said.

"Nuh uh." Zack said.

"Nah." Brock said.

"Be my guest." I said.

"Honestly, I've known him the longest and I'm confident that I'd shoot him myself." Abel said from inside the headlock.

The man instantly released him and handed his weapon to Abel.

Abel grinned, "Thanks." He then fired into the robed man's side, sending him flying back and knocking him out.

"Abel! Thank god you were able to overcome your inherent inferiority to pick up on my training. I'll make a hero out of you ye-GAH!" Cash cried out as Abel threw the gun at his head, breaking the weapon and, _HOPEFULLY,_ Cash's skull.

* * *

 _Jayden's POV_

I groaned and rubbed my head. The ship had been rocked by several explosions before suddenly dropped down, gliding ( _Seriously, what was that?! It felt like we were being carried mid-air._ ), and finally resting on what was probably solid ground.

I saw that in the crash, Tyrantrum and Riolu had hit their heads and been knocked out, "Return and thanks for all your effort!" I turned to Grovyle, "If you're good to go, then let's go check on Ash."

Grovyle nodded and we dashed towards the hall from where we came. From Ash's end, I noticed a strangely-colored rock, "That's funny. It's sorta shaped like…Oh no."

I ran to the other hall to discover four petrified Pokémon. And an unconscious Honedge. I ran to him and shook him awake, "Honedge, what happened? Where's Ash?"

His eyes were unfocused, but he mumbled some gibberish. But it was enough for me, "Hunter J. Thanks, buddy. You did good." I recalled Honedge and started walking towards the other hallway.

On my way back, I stopped by Pika, "Don't worry. I'm gonna fix you. And I'm going to end her."

Grovyle chirped from behind me, "Gro? Grovyle gro gro."

I shook my head, "No, I won't kill her. Never again, remember?"

"Vyle gro."

"I'll manage without the gloves. I can bear the seal for a while. Probably." I didn't stop to listen further. I just continued to the door to the bridge which looked like it had been shut before, but now was dented heavily from the crash, leaving a small tear in the edge.

"Gro." Grovyle pushed me aside and using Strength and some leverage, ripped the door open from the tear.

I saw Ash on the other end of the bridge, bleeding profusely from a gash on his cheek. His left eye was swollen shut while his right hand looked broken. His left knee was bent in a funny place.

Hunter J stood facing him, her trench coat discarded, revealing her biomechanical set-up. Her right arm seemed to be repaired from our last altercation, but I didn't see anything on her back. _She still hasn't replaced the jammer that Logan destroyed._

"Ash!" I cried, running to my protégé.

He looked at me and coughed, "I'm sorry, Jayden. I thought I could fight her on my own."

I grit my teeth and looked at Hunter J. She smiled, "It's good to see that you're back to die. My employer will pay handsomely for your demise."

"Grovyle, use Synthesis to heal Ash." Grovyle nodded and placed his hand on Ash. The both of them soon started glowing green. _It's night, but the lights in the bridge should help them recover at least some energy. Hopefully it'll be enough to help me._

"Ready when you are." J taunted.

My palms started to sweat. _I have to use aura. It's the only way to beat her. But if my seal acts up, I won't be able to do anything. Not without Riolu._ Then I turned back to Ash and Grovyle. Ash's knee was slowly repositioning itself and his swelling was gradually decreasing. I remembered Pika, Pikachu, Froakie and Fletchinder all frozen in the hallway. I remembered all those dead bodies on the street and in the Connecting Cave.

 _Doesn't matter. She's going down, right now._

I grit my teeth and dashed at her. She swung her right arm at my head. Using my Sidestep, I dodged her attack, delivered a series of bullet punches to her abdomen, and ran to other side of the room, all in the blink of an eye.

Hunter J groaned, "Impressive speed. But that won't save you from my attacks." She aimed her cannon at me and fired a quick blast of red energy.

 _That's the concussive kind. I have to get far from that._ I Sidestepped to the right, then back left, and again to the left, dodging her attacks again and again.

 _So far, so good. The seal isn't activated yet._ Right as I thought that, a massive pain took my body, causing me to collapse. _No! Not now!_

A concussive blast struck me, sending my flying behind a control panel. I groaned and rolled onto my side. I opened my eyes to come face to face with a pair of navy blue gloves with a circular diamond on the back of the palms.

 _My gloves? Ash must've taken them off when he fought J. If I put them on, then my seal will stop-_

Another concussive blast threw me to the other side of the room. I saw stars and had to force myself awake. _Do not go into shock right now, Yagami! You have to do this!_

The gloves weren't too far from where I landed. While on my stomach, I weakly reached for them. _Almost there._

Suddenly, another wave of unbearable pain filled my body and I spat up a fair amount of blood. I tried to move, but I couldn't: the pain was too much.

I heard Hunter J charge her cannon once again, "A shame. I thought you of all people would actually challenge me. So much for Aura Guardians being the stuff of legend."

Right as she fired, I felt myself be picked up. I looked to see Grovyle carry me to safety.

"What? Grovyle, what're you doing?" I asked as he set me down. He grinned and tossed me the gloves.

I smiled at him, only to see him get blasted by Hunter J's yellow beam. He was instantly petrified.

"Grovyle!" I looked at Hunter J, "I'll kill you, you miserable little bitch! I swear to God; I will end you!"

She grinned, extended her visor into a mask, and pointed her cannon at my face, "Unlikely." She prepared to fire a laser blast.

 _Come on, dammit! Gloves!_ I tried as hard as I could to put them on. The pain only grew and grew until I was incapable of moving the few centimeters I needed to put them on.

 _Grovyle…Riolu…Pika…Ash. Everyone. I can't let this happen again. I can't let anyone hurt my friends again!_ I felt a rush of strength and I slipped the gloves on. The pain instantly subsided.

Right as the cannon fired, I sped out of the way and ripped Hunter J's arm off. Then, I roundhouse-kicked her to the jaw, sending her flying back.

"You're done, J. I will never let you hurt anyone, ever again." I crushed her torn-off arm between my two hands to punctuate my point.

As the cannon that froze him was destroyed, Grovyle was instantly unpetrified. I could sense that the four Pokémon outside were back to normal as well.

Grovyle turned to me and grinned. I smiled back, "I won't lose my friends again, Grovyle. I promised."

He smiled at me and suddenly started to glow bright whitish-blue. He grew in height. His tail elongated and became more wild-like. The blades on his arm became more angular and firm.

"SCEPTILE!" He roared after the glow subsided.

"Wow! You evolved! About time, too!" I cheered. _Well, that only took three years._

Someone cleared their throat, "This is touching and all, but if you forgot, I still have another arm left." J pointed her left arm at me and Sceptile, "Goodbye."

Suddenly, a glowing blue fist struck Hunter J across the jaw, sending her to the ground. Ash then stomped on her arm with a glowing foot, shattering the metal apparatus. He then collapsed in exhaustion.

I laughed, "Nice Aura Punch, Ash! I'm impressed."

Ash laughed too, "Well, I had a good teacher." At first I was beaming, but then I remembered Logan showed him how to punch like that. _Dick head._

From the hole in the door, Pika, Pikachu, Froakie and Fletchinder came in and dashed for their respective trainers.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried and his electric-type leapt into his arms, "You're okay! You're all okay!"

"Pikapi chaa!" Pikachu cooed as he nuzzled his friend.

Pika hopped onto my arm and I tickled under his chin, "I missed you, buddy."

He smiled at me and quickly rubbed my cheek with his.

I knelt by Hunter J, "So, the only thing left to do is figure out who your employer is. Who hired you to do this?"

Hunter J chuckled, "Oh I can't tell you that. I don't even know myself. I only met the grunts. The low-level guppies. I was only supposed to take out their enemies and not ask questions."

I growled, "You know something. I can sense it. Either you tell me now or I'll rip it from your mind. And chances are, you won't like that."

Hunter J looked away from me and sighed, "Doesn't matter anyways. All I know about them is that they wear bright red, they're incredibly well-funded and technologically advanced, and that their organization has some weird code name."

"Don't keep us in suspense. Out with it." I ordered.

Hunter J looked me dead in the eyes, "Team Flare."

I raised an eyebrow, "What the hell does that mean?"

She shrugged, "I told you all I know. That's it."

I grunted and stood back up. But Ash had his own question, "You said 'it doesn't matter anyways.' What did you mean?"

She smirked, "It doesn't matter what you do to me now. I'm dead for sure. These guys…they're unlike anything I've ever seen. Coming from me, that's not something to just ignore. They're gonna find me for what I did today. I put them on the radar and not in a good way. I've failed them. And now, I'm gonna pay the price."

I chuckled, "Okay. Sure." I tapped the mask on her face, shrinking it back to a visor and removed it off her person, "This is pretty neat. I'll hold onto this. Do you mind? Just flash me a thumbs-down if you don't want me to take it."

I waited for her to signal at me, which was impossible considering she had no arms. Ash and I laughed and walked out of the bridge. We climbed the hatch from where we entered and watched the sun rise over the horizon of the Route 8.

 _Team Flare…what_ _ **is**_ _that?_

* * *

Unknown Location, Kalos Region (The Next Day)

The five admins knelt before their boss.

One of them spoke up, "Sir, I'm afraid that Hunter J's failure has instigated a federal inquiry. It may not be long before they learn, from her or from another source, about us and our intentions.

Another admin spoke up, "Preposterous, Aliana. I personally ensured that Hunter J knew nothing of our exploits. She is no more harm to us than anyone else."

Another admin posed, "Did she truly know nothing? Or do you generalize that she was ignorant?"

The second admin retorted, "What would you know, Mable? Don't ask ridiculous questions. It only makes the boss doubt you even more!"

"Bryony," the boss whispered. However, the sheer emptiness of his voice sent a chill down the spines of all of the admins.

"Y-yes, sir?" Bryony said.

"Do not presume to know what I think. Do not presume to speak for me. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir. C-crystal clear."

The boss lightly chuckled, "Good. Now, answer Mable's question."

"Of course. It's…possible that she learned our name, but besides that-Guh!"

Bryony stopped as the boss grabbed her throat, lifting her several feet above the ground, "Do not hide this information from me, ever again." The boss spoke only in the same whispering monotone he always used. He then threw Bryony several feet away. She was gasping for air, but none of the other admins went to her aid.

The boss strolled slowly, "Eliminate Hunter J. Eliminate anyone she ever corresponded with. Wipe her from the books. She was never truly one of us, remember that. She used chaos and Pokémon, two tools we do not endorse nor require, right?"

"Sir yes, sir!" The admins decreed in sync.

"Her Salamence will be useful. Store it with the other workers. As for any other of her Pokémon, eliminate them. And as for those who defeated her…"

The boss knelt down in front of his subordinates, "Start files on all of them. I want to know everything there is to know about them. Track them. And when the time is right…kill them."

* * *

 **GASP! What's going on? Who is this nefarious organization?**

 **You probably know. Most of you probably played Pokémon X/Y.**

 **Tell me if you liked the chapter and my new direction in a review!**

 **Bye!**


	15. Back to the Main Plot

**GASP! I'm still alive. I just got real busy over summer…then when school started…yea I suck.**

 **But the powers out and my laptop's dying so what better way to use my precious battery life than by starting this fic back up?**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon and I don't know why I need to do this.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Back to the Main Plot**

Route 8, Kalos Region (Daybreak)

 _May's POV_

"ASH!" I cried. "Jayden!"

Dawn, Logan and I were searching the area around the wrecked airship, looking for our friends. There were several other people that were looking for their own friends and family in the area.

Dawn eyed a small trio crying over two limp bodies, "That's terrible. _This_ is terrible." She gestured to the destroyed city and the surroundings that were damaged in the onslaught.

Logan, oddly enough, seemed to be nearly unaffected by the matter. In fact, he had an expression of complete indifference.

"You okay?" I asked him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He immediately perked up, "Oh yea. I'm fine. I just feel sorry that all this happened is all."

I smiled back, but a thought lingered in my head. _That face. It reminds me of Jayden's. He doesn't look surprised or upset; just sad. It's like he's seen this before._

"Ash! Jayden! Pikachu!" Dawn cried out, "Where could they be?"

Logan knelt down, "I can sense them nearby, but this place is becoming a dead spot."

I raised my eyebrow, "What's a dead spot?"

"You mean like with cell phones? No service?" Dawn inquired.

Logan smiled, "Sorta. A dead spot is basically any area that's been a place of great death and destruction. Of evil. The residual energy from that clouds my Aura Sense and weakens my powers. Even Jayden can't see through a dead spot."

I lowered my head and frowned, "I can't believe Hunter J would do this. Even for her, this is another level in evil."

Dawn smiled, "But at least we know she won't hurt anybody else again. Right?"

"Hell yea!" A voice called from behind us. We turned around with a start to see Jayden and Ash grinning back at us, heavily beat up and filthy, but grinning. They were supporting each other with their arms while a Sceptile trailed behind, holding Hunter J in a fireman's carry.

"Ash! Jayden!" We cried as we enveloped them in big hugs.

"OWWWW!" they screamed, clutching their ribs.

We laughed before marveling at the green lizard in front of us. I piped up, "Is that Grovyle, Jayden? He evolved?"

Jayden stopped rolling in pain to stand up, nod and pat his Pokémon's back, "Yea. I'm proud of him, right buddy?" Sceptile grunted in affirmation.

Logan turned to the cloaked figure on Sceptile's shoulder, "And this is Hunter J, yes? You're gonna have a lot to answer for."

Hunter J had some sort of rag around her mouth and while she seemed to be missing arms, she could still kick and flail around. One stray attack hit Jayden square in the side, sending him into a series of convulsions.

Dawn laughed, "Why don't we get you a doctor?"

Ash nodded, "Yes, please."

Logan chuckled, "Let's hope you don't need an IV. Those needles are huge."

Jayden stopped squirming and looked at us, dead-serious with a face of fear, "Wait. What?"

What's Left of Cyllage City, Kalos Region (2 days later)

 _Jayden's POV_

I groaned, shifting uncomfortably in my hospital bed. The IV in my arm irritated me and itched like nobody's business. But I was told specifically not to touch it. _Do not fiddle with the IV, Jayden. Don't do it._

I touched the IV and pain shot up my arm, as did a bit of my blood in the tube. _Goddammit! Jayden, there's a time and a place for everything...wait…was that supposed to be a joke?_

To my right, Ash was snoring loudly in his bed, only breaking his rhythm to heave occasionally, a byproduct of his several broken ribs. The image of him knocking down Hunter J stuck in my mind. _I can't believe he did that. To think, two months ago, he didn't even know what aura could do. Now, he's taking out international terrorists with a shovel hook._

"Pika kachupi?" Pika muttered sleepily, looking at me, then the window shining bright with morning sun, then back at me, before finally shutting his eyes again and falling back asleep. I smiled and rubbed his head.

For the past two days, Ash and I had been stuck in the hospital. Which would've been fine if hospitals didn't give you IVs instead of food. And needles instead of tender back rubs. _Honestly, hospitals should just be replaced by spas._

"I agree." Logan said, appearing at the foot of my bed.

"GAH!" I shrieked, falling out of bed. Ash jerked up to the noise, saw me on the floor, laughed a little and went back to sleep. "When did you get here?"

Logan checked his watch, "About…now."

I faked a laugh as I climbed back into bed, "Very funny. Now what do you want? You already put me in this hell." I gestured to the antiseptic-smelling death trap I was in.

My friend chuckled, "I just wanted to let you know that I figured out what your seal is."

I sat up, interested, "Don't keep me in suspense. Tell me."

"It's a dead spot."

"Wait…what?"

Logan smiled like a kid in a candy store, "I've never seen anything like it. It's several seals overlapping each other to create a cumulative effect. It essentially traps whatever energy you produce and turns it into negative energy that turns into a dead spot. So whenever you try to access your powers, it'll be like exposing yourself to a dead spot from the inside out. The only thing that can deactivate the seal are your gloves, but they also restrict your power so…"

I shook my head, "I don't need that. I don't want to be restricted. I need to be able to fight at full."

Logan shrugged, "For what? The world isn't exactly clamoring for super-powered teenagers to solve its problems."

I shook my head, "Not yet, but there's something coming." Logan raised an eyebrow so I explained, "Before we left the airship, Hunter J told us that she worked for someone or something big. Like: 'hire a personal hitman and give them a robotic militia' to kill any perceived threats big. Whoever she works for is powerful, not to mention gutsy enough to wage war on an entire city."

Logan rubbed his chin then shifted to the back of his head as he sighed, "I've been hearing rumors of a new syndicate, but I haven't heard anything of that magnitude. Not even close."

I sat up, eyes wide, and protested, "But J admitted that they're probably going to kill her! Logan, I don't think she would say _that_ right before getting arrested!"

"She was probably just trying to mess with your head and throw you off her trail. If anything, you should watch for her real boss cuz they'll probably try to rescue her."

I groaned and fell back onto my bed, turning my head away from Logan, "I can't believe you right now. After what's gone down, I figured you of all people would be on top of this."

Logan sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder, "You know what I think? I think you miss being a Guardian. Being needed. I guess taking on challengers at the Battle Spire isn't quite enough anymore."

White-hot anger filled me. I turned to him with a scowl, "What do you know about me? You don't know anything!"

Logan was taken aback by my outburst, "Jayden, I didn't want to upset-"

Cutting him off mid-sentence, "I don't miss anything about that job. And I'm perfectly happy with my life right now. Maybe you should stop giving tours at old buildings, find your family and get _your_ life together!"

When Pika jumped up in surprise, I realized I was screaming. Judging off of Logan's expression, and more importantly, I realized just what I said. I opened my mouth in an attempt to apologize, but nothing came out.

Logan was dead silent. In one fluid motion, he stood up, walked to the door and opened it. Right before exiting the hospital room, he stared straight ahead at the hallway wall and waited a moment for my non-forthcoming apology.

I looked at him and then down at his feet in shame. With that, Logan walked out the room and closed the door as silently as he opened it.

I groaned and put my hands on my head, "Oh, why'd you say that. Why'd you say that? He didn't deserve that. What'd you do?"

"I think you made him mad." Ash said, looking directly at me.

I jumped up a little bit, "Since when have you been awake?"

"Since you started yelling."

I sighed, "Sorry, Ash…so what'd you hear?"

He shrugged, "Just the part about you missing your life and he not having one." I groaned, eliciting a question from my temporary roommate, "Are you okay? I didn't really understand what's happening, but I feel like it's something bad."

I chuckled, "That's probably what the readers feel right about now."

He raised an eyebrow, "Readers? What readers?"

I smiled, "What readers? Exactly." I winked at the camera.

Ash looked more confused than ever, but he just acted like the fourth wall break just didn't happen, "So, you good?"

I shook my head clear of all negative thoughts and grinned brightly, "Terrific! Ready to get back on the road and to your next gym battle!"

"Alright!" Ash leapt into the air at the mention of a gym battle.

I grinned mischievously. _This guy loves battles more than the Kardashians love black people._

* * *

 **A.N. Is that seriously the best joke I could come up with? For real? Kardashian jokes are practically at the bottom of the comedic chain, barely above the fine and esteemed stand-up work of Bill Cosby. I mean for God's sake: This is supposed to be high-quality entertainment right here! I need to rethink my life.**

* * *

"So what's the plan exactly?" Brock asked in the hospital cafeteria.

Ash tapped his chin while he stared at the Town Map, "Well, the nearest gym is in Shalour City. That's where I wanna go."

I nodded in agreement, "Same. Last time I visited Kalos, the Shalour gym was one of the gyms I couldn't get to."

Serena piped up, "Ooh! I heard about its leader from the TV! He's the most experienced gym leader in all of Kalos, maybe even the world. Even the Elite Four defers to him."

Ash grinned with a twinkle in his eye, "That sounds perfect, right buddy?" He looked at Pikachu who pumped his fist, the same sparkle in his gaze.

May looked at her PokéNav and burst out, "Oh, there's a contest in Geosenge Town in a few days. We could enter that." She looked at Dawn.

Dawn suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, "U-umm…I don't know, May. I just got a ribbon back at the berry fields. I don't really want us to compete with each other."

Brock raised his eyebrow, "But Dawn, you haven't been in a real contest since we got here. If you don't practice, you're going to get rusty."

May nodded and grinned, "Yea. And when we battle at the Grand Festival, I want us to both be at our best. Plus, what's the point of a friendly rivalry if there's no rivaling?"

Dawn was sweating heavily, earning weird glances from our traveling partners. She looked at me with an expression screaming: 'Help! Get me out of this!'

 _Alright, Yagami. A woman's self-esteem is on the line. This is what you've trained for._

"Jeez Dawn, you don't look so good. Are you okay?" _Nailed it!_

Her eyes were screaming at me: 'What the hell?! Don't draw attention to me, you jackass!'

 _Maybe I wasn't so subtle. Time for a different approach…my gloves are on…hmmmm._

"Poison Sting" I whispered under my breath, pointing my finger at Dawn's leg under the table. A sharp purple barb flew from my fingertip and embedded itself in her thigh, where it was absorbed, successfully poisoning her.

Dawn suddenly looked very queasy, her face turning green. She looked at me: 'I hate you, but thanks.' I smiled and nodded back.

Brock put a hand to her head, "Now that Jayden says it, you do look a little ill. And you have a fever! Maybe you should skip this contest. It'd be bad for your health."

Dawn started playing the sick card and weakly said, "Thanks Brock. I'm just so tired." Her voice was at a mumble and she threw her head back, resting the back of her hand on her forehead.

While I struggled not to laugh at her over-the-top performance, Serena helped her back to the Pokémon Center where they were staying.

Brock and Ash turned their attention away from our 'fallen' compatriot and back to planning. I stretched back, my chair leaning backward to accommodate my new seating position. While our table was relatively upbeat, I could see dozens of tables filled by worried families with loved ones in the hospital, injured in the attacks. From what my friends said earlier, I also knew there were many injured Pokémon too.

 _This is all wrong! Why did this have to happen? It was senseless violence. And Hunter J said she was looking for me. Was this…my fault? My fault again?_

"Whatcha thinking about?" May asked, leaning backward like me.

I snapped out of my thoughts, "Just looking at how many people there are in this cafeteria. Doesn't seem right that there were so many people hurt. And so many Pokémon. It was wrong. And it was all because of-" I stopped mid-sentence.

 _Don't admit it, you moron! That's how you lose friends. If they know you're the reason that Hunter J came after the city, then you'll lose them. You'll lose everyone. Again!_

"All because of what?" May asked, cocking her head.

"U-umm…because of stupid reasons, that's why. It doesn't matter why she did it. All that does matter is she's never hurting anybody again."

May smiled, "Yea, that's all we can really ask for, isn't it? For nobody to get hurt again. At least, that's what Logan said before he left."

I sat up, "Wait. He left?"

May nodded and raised her eyebrow quizzically, "Yea. Like only a few minutes ago. I thought he told you. He was pretty serious so I guessed something came up."

I nodded aimlessly, no longer paying attention. _Oh god. What'd you do, you idiot?_ I thought to myself.

"I did see him mess around with your backpack so maybe there's something there," May remarked offhandedly before turning back to Brock and Ash to finish discussing the plans for travel.

I quickly reached for my backpack and dug around. At first, I felt nothing but Pokéballs, supplies, and clothes. Then I felt some sort of paper and pulled out an envelope addressed to me. _Logan's handwriting._ I contemplated opening it, but remembered what I said to him in my hospital room and shoved the envelope deep inside my bag, fearing the harsh words awaiting me on the paper.

"So if we leave by tomorrow, we can be at Geosenge Town in time for the contest. That gives me some time today to prepare and for Ash and Jayden to finish resting up. Then after the contest, we go straight to Shalour City for Ash's battle." May proposed.

Ash cheered, "All right! Time for some travel filler!"

* * *

 **A.N. Not today, bitch!**

* * *

Geosenge Town, Kalos Region (3 days later)

 _May's POV_

I twiddled my thumbs, waiting patiently for my turn to battle in the semi-finals. _I swept the appeals and my prelim battle, but this isn't the time to get cocky. I have to stay focused!_

"May and Ivan to the stage, please" the announcer called.

I stood up, fingered my Pokéball and prepared myself. I stretched my smile as wide as possible and ran outside to the brightly-lit stage.

The announcer called, "And here's the beautiful Princess of Hoenn, May!" She raised a hand towards me, causing the spotlights to shine on me and the crowd to cheer loudly. I grinned and waved back.

"And now her opponent: you know him as a magnificent magician, a powerful trainer, and a five-time visitor to the state penitentiary for underground gambling rings. It's Ivan!"

A medium-height kid with black hair swept like Drew's walked onto the stage opposite to me. He seemed relatively calm until he saw me, causing him to look down and mutter slightly. I couldn't hear anything, but it looked like he mouthed 'girl.'

 _Aww! He's shy. I can use that to my advantage! ...that was a little dark._

"Let the battle begin!"

"Phantump, time to shine!" Ivan tossed a Pokéball, revealing a short black ghost with a stump for a head.

"Litleo, I choose you!" My small brown cub appeared in a flash and purred, stretching his back in preparation for the battle.

"Phantump, end this quickly with Energy Ball." Phantump charged a ball of green energy and sent it flying for Litleo.

"Dodge and use Incinerate!" Litleo flipped to the side and shot a stream of concentrated fire, severely damaging Phantump. Ivan's points went down by a quarter.

"No worries! Feint Attack!" Phantump seemed to fade away before he suddenly reappeared behind Litleo's, his tail glowing brightly.

"Jump and use Fire Fang!" Litleo jumped up in time to avoid the Faint Attack from sweeping under him. Mid-jump, he flipped around and bit hard on Phantump's head with a flaming maw.

 _Nice one! I'm on a roll, right now!_ "While you're holding him, Flamethrower!" Litleo's mouth started glowing bright red and Phantump was sent rocketing back to Ivan's side by a powerful beam of fire. Phantump crashed onto the ground, completely knocked out.

The screen flashed a bright red X over Ivan's face and the announcer called, "That's it! By knockout, May is the first of our two finalists!"

I grinned and ran back to the waiting room, tapping my foot excitedly on the floor. _That was great! I'm gonna take the next round just as easily! …waitno I have to be adamant. I can't get overconfident!_

* * *

"Wow, May's pretty badass," Jayden said, sipping on a soda in the stands after the battle.

Ash nodded with a wide smile, "Yea, she's pretty great. I bet she'll win the final round even quicker!"

Serena commented, "But she looked like she was battling in a regular battle. It wasn't as pretty as I thought it would be in a contest."

Brock nodded, "It's just her style. May's always been head-on in battle and since she's using Litleo, who doesn't have any experience, she's just throwing herself even deeper into an aggressive style."

Ash grinned, "Yea, she's a lot like me. You know I taught her how to battle? I'm a good teacher like that."

Jayden snorted, "Too bad I can't say the same for you as a student."

A vein threatened to pop out of Ash's forehead, "Hey, I beat Hunter J!"

"You got _beaten_ by Hunter J. There's a difference, dumbass. I guess you're not a very good student in school, either."

"I'll show you how good of a student I can be! I bet my aura punches are ten times stronger than yours! I'll take you down in two-no-one punch, you stupid, arrogant-"

Ash was sent flying off the stand by Jayden's fist, from which a green glow was fading as it faintly smoked.

Jayden sat back, enjoying the quiet until an equally-peeved Serena knocked him off the stands as well.

* * *

"Could the finalists please come to the stage?"

I gathered my composure and walked back to the stage, Litleo's Pokéball in hand.

"Here they are, our two Geosenge Pokémon Contest finalists! In the blue corner, we have the Princess of Hoenn: May! And in the red corner, we have a welcome guest: the great and powerful Shalour City gym leader…"

* * *

Jayden, Ash and Serena stopped fighting to stare at the stage, "What?!"

* * *

"…'s replacement and granddaughter: Korrina!" A young girl about my age stepped onto the stage. What I noticed first was her massive blonde ponytail. I also noticed her oversized sunglasses and bike helmet. _Not what I'd expect from a Gym Leader._

* * *

"WHAT?!" Ash and Jayden exclaimed, tearing up at being deprived of seeing the 'great and powerful' gym leader at work.

* * *

"Litleo, I choose you!" I released my small fire-type. _A gym-leader, huh? This will be tougher than I thought._

"Lucario, you're up!" In a flash, a blue and black jackal with a yellow fur vest appeared.

 _Let's use this type-advantage!_ "Litleo, Incinerate!" Litleo released a stream of fire from his mouth.

"Deflect with Bone Rush!" Lucario rapidly formed a blue energy bone between his hands and spun it around rapidly, creating a pseudo-shield against the fire. Once the attack ceased, Lucario was unharmed and I lost about a fifth of my points.

"Dang. Try using Echoed Voice!" Litleo roared loudly, causing Lucario to fall to his knees and cover his ears. Korrina's points went down, but not by much.

"Alright, Lucario: Aura Sphere." In a blink of an eye, Lucario sent an orb of blue energy hurdling towards Litleo. My small partner went flying back, yelping in pain, and my points took a dive.

"Oh no! Are you okay?" Litleo struggled up, but yapped in affirmation, "Good. Now hit him with another Echoed Voice." Litleo repeated the same attack for the same result.

Korrina grinned, "I give you props for that attack, but it won't do much."

I growled, "We'll see about that!" Once more, Echoed Voice!" Again, Litleo roared and again, Lucario was forced back. Korrina and I were now roughly equal in points.

"Now's our chance! Incinerate!"

Litleo shot a stream of fire at Lucario, whose eyes were still shut from the strain of the attack. Right before the attack collided, the appendages on Lucario's head shot up and he jumped out of the way without even looking. The failed Incinerate shot a chunk out of the battlefield and out of my points.

 _That was aura! This is a really well-trained Lucario. I have to be smart with my attacks._

"Extremespeed!" Lucario dashed forward and slammed into Litleo, sending him back, "Power Up Punch!" Lucario's fist glowed red and he punched Litleo into the air, "Again!" Lucario jumped up to send Litleo even higher.

"Fire Fang!" I said desperately. Litleo tried to flip and bit Lucario mid-air, but his opponent was too fast and too strong to be disposed of in such a way.

"Now take him down!" Lucario used a third Power Up Punch to send Litleo crashing into the ground, creating a small crater.

"Litleo!" I cried as my little fire-type weakly crawled out of the hole in the battlefield. I looked at the screen and was relieved to see a small sliver remaining in my points. _Litleo can't take this Lucario on in a battle._ I _can't. Korrina's a gym leader for a reason: she's a great battler. Better than me by a long shot. If I'm gonna win this…_ I glanced at the screen and saw one minute remaining and a half-full point meter by Korrina's face _…I need to do it as a coordinator._

"Litleo, confuse Lucario! Spin and use Incinerate!" Litleo did as he was told, creating an impenetrable vortex of fire around him. "Now Echoed Voice!" Litleo roared, dispersing the fire into a blanket that hung on the field for several seconds, causing small damage to Lucario, but looking incredible.

Korrina smiled, "Tricks like that won't work! Extremespeed while Litleo's footing is off!" Lucario dashed at my unsteady fire-type.

"Litleo, no!" I cried. However, right before Lucario collided with him, Litleo's eyes took on a determined look, he stepped back to steady himself, and he released a mighty roar that sent Lucario flying back.

"Woah. What is that?" I asked.

The announcer answered for me, "Well I'll be! May's Litleo has just performed Noble Roar! And a powerful one at that. Noble Roar is a move that can weaken a Pokémon's attacking power and is unique to Litleo!"

 _Noble Roar, huh?_ "Good one, Litleo!" I jumped into the air with glee while Litleo smiled back at me.

Korrina was taken aback, "Woah. Lucario, set up a ring and send them flying with Bone Rush." Lucario into the air and punched down with two fists. From the ground, several streams of energy shot up, creating a ring of Aura Spheres. He then used his Bone Rush to bat them towards Litleo at rocket-fast speeds.

"Oh no, you don't! Noble Roar!" Litleo let out the guttural roar once more, causing the Aura Spheres to slow down and dissipate before hitting him. Korrina's points took a swan dive for that blunder.

 _Crap! Only five seconds!_ "Now, spin and use Flamethrower, full power!" Litleo charged up a beam of fire and did a barrel roll as he sent it flying at Lucario, providing a powerful spin to it.

"Block it!" Korrina cried. Lucario roared and using an Aura Sphere, blocked the attack at point-blank range. For a few seconds, the two attacks struggled. But right as the clock sounded, the Aura Sphere failed and Lucario was sent flying by the Flamethrower. He landed on his back but quickly stood up.

Korrina and I both nervously glanced at the screen only to see two identically small slivers in the point section. The whole stadium held its breath as the announcer took to the stage.

"By a margin of only 2 points gained in the final seconds of the battle, the winner of the Geosenge Pokémon Competition is… May!"

I jumped up high and cheered loudly, grabbing Litleo and swinging him around, "We did it! We actually did it!"

Korrina walked over to congratulate me with Lucario, "Congrats, May. That was a great battle!"

I shook her hand, "It really was! If it wasn't for the timer, I think Lucario probably would've knocked us out. I guess we just got lucky." I laughed sheepishly.

She shook her head, "Nah. That combo of yours really shifted the tide of the fight. You made it into a contest again. You earned this ribbon." Korrina rubbed the back of her head and nervously laughed, "Truth be told, I don't even care too much about contests. I just wanted to try something new with Lucario."

"Is he your main battling partner?"

She nodded, "Yup. He and I have been partners since I was a kid and he was a Riolu. We just got the Shalour Gym so I'm trying to get us some experience. I've only had two challenges so I have a lot of learning still."

I laughed, "Well, my friends might wanna double that number for you."

She raised her eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

* * *

Geosenge Town, Kalos Region (Evening)

 _Brock's POV_

Korrina stared nervously as Ash and Jayden bickered over who got to battle her first.

"I was born first!" Ash said triumphantly.

"That doesn't matter! I've been waiting the longest! I wanted to battle her years ago."

"You didn't even know she existed years ago!" Ash protested.

"You didn't know she existed three days ago!" Jayden retorted.

This went on for some time until Dawn spoke up, "Alright! Whoever calls this coin toss on my Pokétch gets the first battle, cool?" Ash and Jayden begrudgingly nodded.

Dawn tapped her watch and the digital coin spun around. At the last second, Dawn covered the screen, "Okay, call it."

"Heads!" Ash cried.

"Tails!" said Jayden.

Dawn looked and showed everyone a Magikarp on the coin, "Ash, you get to battle first."

"Gah!" Jayden grumbled as he sat on the sidelines. _Not much of a graceful loser, is he?_

Ash stuck his tongue out and proceeded to his side on the Pokémon Center's battlefield.

Korrina got on her side as Lucario walked to the field itself, "You ready, Ash?"

Ash grinned, "I was born ready for this, Korrina."

I went to the referee spot, "Okay, this will be a one-on-one battle between Ash, the challenger, and Korrina, the gym leader. The battle will be over when either trainer's Pokémon is unable to battle. Begin!"

"Fletchinder, you're up!" Ash cried. In a white flash, his fire-flying-type appeared in the air.

"Ash, you get the first move," I instructed.

He nodded and commanded, "Fletchinder, Flame Charge." Fletchinder dove towards Lucario with a flaming body. Thanks to his speed-boost, the attack was a direct hit.

"Lucario, shake it off and use Power Up Punch!" Lucario shook his head vigorously and dashed at Fletchinder, jumping high to smash his fist into the bird's back.

"Oh no! Backtrack and use Flame Charge again!" Fletchinder flapped his wings hard to fly up and back several meters before dive-bombing once more.

"Not this time. Metal Claw!" Lucario tensed up as Fletchinder approached at high velocity. Right before he would've been hit, Lucario stepped to the side and slashed at his attacker with metallic claws emanating from his paw.

"Now use Aura Sphere!" The jackal sent a blue orb at Fletchinder, sending the flying-type crashing down in a blue explosion.

"Grr!" Ash growled and I saw him focusing hard. Hard enough for a vein to start throbbing. Even Korrina and Lucario were thrown off by this.

"Ummm…" I had never seen Ash so worked up over a gym battle, especially one as laid back as this, "You okay, buddy?" He didn't answer.

Then I heard Jayden chuckle, "He's trying to use his Aura Sense to get an advantage, like in his battle with Grant. He's trying to force it, but he's way too worked up." Jayden called out a little louder, "Ash, relax. Try to remember where you are and who you're working with. Fletchinder is your friend and if you wanna help him, you have to get in sync with him."

Ash nodded and relaxed his stance. He took a deep breath. Suddenly, Fletchinder got back up and his flapping began to mimic Ash's breathing. I turned to Jayden and saw a smile. It was discreet and he hid it as soon as he saw me looking, but it was a smile of pride, the same smile I had when Forrest became a gym leader.

 _Woah. Ash's actually using aura. To think that kid who didn't know electric attacks don't work on ground-types is an aura user._

Ash opened his eyes and there was a faint blue glow to them, a blue matched only by the glow in Fletchinder's eyes and maybe the natural hue of a certain brunette's, "Fletchinder, Wing Attack on his left leg." Fletchinder took off and struck Lucario's left leg. While the fighting-type tried to dodge, he was just a hair's-breadth too slow.

 _That must've been Lucario's weaker leg._

"Now use Flamethrower." While Lucario was down, Fletchinder shot a powerful burst of fire at him, sending him flying forward. Lucario struggled to get up.

Korrina was grinning, "Wow! You're using aura? I can do that too!" In seconds, Korrina's eyes took on a reddish tint as did Lucario's, "Metal Claw and Close Combat!"

Lucario dashed at full speed and delivered a crippling slash to either wing of Fletchinder's, sending him into freefall. As they both hurdled for the ground, Lucario unleashed a series of devastating bullet punches, causing the bird to land with a crippling amount of force.

Before the smoke cleared, I knew Fletchinder was out, "Fletchinder is unable to battle, Lucario is the winner. Therefore, the challenger, Ash, has failed in his gym challenge."

Ash groaned and fell onto his rear, "Man! I was really counting on my aura!" He turned to Korrina, "I had no idea you could use aura too!"

She shrugged, "My grandpa showed me how to do that. He said that every Shalour Gym leader is able to use their aura to connect with their partner Pokémon."

Ash nodded, "Jayden showed me how to do that. He's an actual Aura Guardian."

Korrina turned to him with a look of awe, "Really? Oh man, my grandpa would love to meet you! Come on, he's not too far from here!" Before any of us could say anything, she was dashing off towards Route 11.

"Wait up!" I cried, quickly packing up the supplies we had out.

"But we haven't eaten yet!" May and Dawn complained as the group ran after the flicker-footed gym leader.

* * *

Kalos State Penitentiary, Kalos Region (Midday)

Hunter J stared at the roof of her cell as he laid back. Without her arms, she narrowly avoided solitary confinement but was given a prison attendant instead of a cellmate.

"Darcy, give me some water." She commanded.

Darcy, an extremely muscular woman sitting on a wooden stool and reading a newspaper, grunted in response.

Hunter J repeated her command twice before groaning and turning her head back to the ceiling.

"You know, for an attendant, you're pretty useless." In response, Darcy poured the water in question onto Hunter J's face.

J shot her with some vulgarity that even Donald Trump's vision of Mexico would find profane before uselessly trying to coax her into drying her off.

Darcy continued to grunt.

At her wits end, J yelled, "I don't know how much time I have left, but I swear that you're gonna be the last person I kill before I go."

Darcy looked up and grunted once again. Then a guard walked up to the bars with some sort of cleaning cart and muttered something. Darcy quickly stood to talk to him and they whispered back and forth. All J could gather was her attendant's gruff voice say: "Are you sure?"

 _Sure? Sure of what?_ Darcy turned away from the guard and grabbed a fresh white towel and walked to J. "Oh, so now you're gonna dry me off." _The guard probably heard my threat and knows me enough to tell Darcy otherwise. Smart man._ "Be gentle. I know how rough you can be."

Darcy held the towel over J's face for a moment. Long enough for a chill to go down the latter's spine. _Something's not right._ "Darcy, on second thought, you don't have t-"

The attendant stuffed the rag into J's mouth. The Hunter struggled and screamed, but the fabric muffled everything and without her arms, she was helpless against the much larger woman. J felt Darcy's hand grasp the sides of her head and she let out a blood-curdling, yet muffled, shriek.

Darcy then wordlessly snapped Hunter J's neck with ruthless tranquility. The former Most Wanted Woman Alive went limp in her attendant's firm grip. The guard then entered the cell and dragged the deceased J straight into the cart's trash bag before covering the opening with a lid.

"Lysandre thanks you, Darcy." The guard said with a sly smirk as he walked away.

The attendant silently nodded before completely collapsing, a faint whirring sound emitting from within her skull as a black substance like motor oil poured from her ears.

 **Anyways, hope you enjoyed the return to writing. I also hope you enjoyed that absolutely jarring shift in tone at the end. Jesus, that was out of nowhere, amirite?**

' **K bye.**


	16. Mirror Images

**Yo! I'll try to post chapters on a weekly basis, if not more.**

 **There's a poll on my profile. Check it out if you want. Or don't. It's your life. But like…do check it out.**

 **Thank you to the following people for reviewing: Kira, Axel Davis, Guest, and alphaash.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon because Tajiri won't follow me back on Twitter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Mirror Images**

Shalour City, Kalos Region (Noon)

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

"This is te-terrible." I chattered, Pika agreeing with me while laying inside the protective warmth of my beanie. We'd been walking for several days now along the mountain side on our war path towards Shalour City, which should have been delightful given that it was early November on the coast. But nope: it was frigid. I rubbed my arms and chest. _Note to self: buy a damn jacket. Psh, Korrina said her Grandpa wasn't that far!_

Ash jogged next to me, a smile as wide as a Wailord, "Cheer up, Jayden! We're almost to Shalour City! Isn't that right, Korrina?" He turned to his new best buddy and novice Gym Leader.

Korrina grinned and vigorously nodded, causing her ponytail to whip around with such violence I swore her neck snapped, "Yup! We'll be in the city limits within the hour."

I grunted in response and pulled the beanie out, trying to cover as much of my body as possible. I turned to the side and reached out to Riolu, who was deep in conversation with Korrina's Lucario.

 _Hey, Riolu. Having fun?_

He turned to me and smiled, " _Yes! I'm telling Lucario about how I learned to use aura. And he's telling me about the time he evolved. He's very passionate about self-improvement!_ "

I cocked my head and smiled maliciously, _I thought you weren't interested in evolving. You said 'Lucario are stupid and I can be just as good as them by myself.'_

Riolu suddenly got defensive, " _No I did not! I don't care. Anyways, what do you want?_ "

 _Umm…nothing, really. I'll just leave you to…whatever you're doing._

I broke the connection and jogged up to May and Serena. They were talking about something while Litleo and Fennekin followed suit. Up at the front of the group was Dawn and Brock.

"What's up?" I asked, slowing down once I was at the same place as them.

Serena smiled, "We're just chatting about contests. I was thinking about trying one out."

May insisted, "You should! They're really fun and you get to try out so many different types of Pokémon interactions."

Serena shrugged and smiled nervously, "Yea, I get that, but I don't think I'm much of a battler."

I sweatdropped, "You literally threw me out of the stands at the Geosenge Contest."

Serena laughed and waved her hands, "Oh, Jayden! You need to learn to let some things in the past go."

"That was three days ago."

She waved her hands again, "Three days, three years. What's the difference?"

"26, 208 hours."

Serena finally gave me a death stare and I stopped provoking her. _Man, I am really pushing buttons today._

May spoke up, "So are you going to challenge Korrina too?"

I nodded, "Definitely! I don't wanna miss my chance this time!" Pika affirmed my statement from beneath my beanie before getting back to snoring. "After that, it's just the Lumiose Gym and I'll have all the badges I need for the Kalos League."

May smiled, "And just three more ribbons and I'll be eligible for the Grand Festival!"

I turned to Serena, "What about you? I feel like you haven't really told us what your goal is."

She shrugged, "I'm really just here to travel and see the world." _And screw Ash_. I didn't vocalize that last part.

"Hey guys!" Dawn cried from the edge of the path. She and Brock were both looking down and seemed to be awestruck, "We're here!"

Korrina laughed, "Yea we are! It's awesome right?"

 _What's so awesome about it? It's just a city._ Then I saw a structure slowly appear as I walked closer and closer to the edge of the path. _Holy sweet mother of Arceus._

A massive tower stood on its own island in the ocean. Half of the tower resembled brick with metal spokes at the top, while the other half of the tower seemed to take inspiration from Johto's many tall buildings.

"That's the Tower of Mastery." Brock informed us, reading off of his travel guide, "It's supposedly one of the oldest structures in Kalos and actually held the record for the tallest building in the world for three centuries."

Korrina nodded, "Yup! My grandpa says that this is the place where Mega Evolution was born! Legend has it, the ocean bed beneath the tower is filled with Mega Stones for all sorts of Pokémon."

Ash laughed with anticipation, "Come on, guys! Let's hurry up, already!" He dashed off down the rest of the path towards the cliffside that Shalour City rested upon.

However, instead of going down the path to the tower, Korrina stopped in front of a small cottage near the Pokémon Center.

"What's up, Korrina?" May asked as well gathered around her.

Korrina knocked on the door, "Grandpa, I'm back! And we have company, too!"

There was no response and then the door creaked open, revealing a very old man in a faded gray tracksuit and…

 _What the hell are those?_ I gazed at his gargantuan eyebrows. _I see where Korrina gets her ponytail from. Jeez, this guy is the famous gym leader?_

He looked at us all, silently judging with a steely gaze. Then his mouth curled into a grin and he gestured for us to come in, "Welcome, everyone! My name is Gurkinn."

We all introduced ourselves and sat inside where Korrina and Gurkinn offered us tea and little snacks.

While Ash ate his body weight in cookies, the rest of us started up a conversation with Gurkinn.

"So what brings you all to Shalour City? Did my granddaughter just coax you into coming here?" Gurkinn asked politely.

Serena spoke up, "Actually, Ash and Jayden are gonna challenge the Shalour gym."

Korrina piped up, "Ooh, Grandpa, that reminds me: I beat Ash!"

Gurkinn seemed surprised, "Really?" He looked at Ash who nodded with a smile. Gurkinn turned to Korrina, "Well, it seems you're doing a fine job, then. I get the feeling that boy's no pushover, too."

Korrina nodded, "Mmhmm, he's an Aura Guardian, too. He used his powers on me, but I still won."

Gurkinn nearly did a spit take, "He's a WHAT?!"

Ash rubbed his head, "Well, I'm technically in training, but I hope I will be one soon. Jayden's a real Guardian, though."

Gurkinn now looked at me, "You're a true Aura Guardian?"

I was taken aback, "Umm…yes." I turned to Riolu and reached out. _What's his deal?_

Riolu shook his head, " _I don't know for sure, but Lucario tells me that Gurkinn is proficient in aura._ "

Gurkinn sat back, "I was trained to use aura, but I'd never met a real Aura Guardian. I expected them to be a bit…older."

I furrowed my brow, "Well…here I am."

The old man rubbed his chin, "Quite." He turned to Korrina, "You defeated an aura user at their own game. I guess that's as good a sign as ever that you're ready for Mega Evolution."

Korrina grabbed Lucario's paws and jumped up and down, cheering, "Yay! We did it, Lucario! You're gonna Mega Evolve!"

"Wait, you know about Mega Evolution?" Brock asked as we all leaned it to listen. Even Ash stopped eating to hear the old man.

Gurkinn nodded with a small smile, "I'm known as something of an expert in the field. I even train others in the Tower of Mastery." We all simultaneously opened our mouths, but he spoke before we did, "Of course, if you want to learn, you have to pass a test first."

"Aww man." We all collectively sighed.

Korrina giggled, "Sorry, guys!"

Gurkinn turned to her, eyebrow raised, "You have to pass a test too."

"Wait, what? Why? I'm your granddaughter!" Korrina protested, but Gurkinn shook his head.

"Doesn't matter, it's tradition."

She stomped her foot, as did Lucario, "Man, this sucks! Do I have to go?"

Gurkinn nodded, "Yes, you do. But if Ash and Jayden go with you, then I'll train them too."

We both popped up, "You will?"

He nodded, "Only someone trained to use aura can pass this test. Are you interested?"

"Yes!" we said simultaneously.

Gurkinn smiled, "Good. Go to Reflection Cave outside the city. Inside, there's a Lucarionite: the Mega Stone compatible with Lucario. You two help my granddaughter bring back the Lucarionite, and I'll ensure that you leave Shalour City as masters of Mega Evolution.

I smirked and looked at Pika, "This doesn't sound too hard. Just looking for a rock. Easy."

* * *

Reflection Cave, Kalos Region (Afternoon)

 _I take it back. This is really weird._ The cave seemed to be made entirely of mirrors, even on the floor and ceiling. The whole thing was so reflective, what looked right next to you could actually be on an entirely different floor. What made matters worse was the only light source were glowing crystals that cast an eerie blue glow over every surface.

"So, you guys have any idea what to do?" Korrina asked us. Ash and I both shook our heads.

Riolu and Lucario sniffed around and barked, waving their arms as a signal to follow. "Follow them, everyone!" I commanded as we ran where the two jackals guided us.

 _Where are you taking us, Riolu?_ I asked telepathically.

" _I don't know, but I smell something up ahead. It's…dirty._ " He responded.

Ash called, "Where are they going?"

"They must sense something down this hallway! But what is it?" Korrina said as we came to a screeching halt in front of a large mirror wall. Lucario and Riolu were tensed up in front of the obstacle. I tried reaching out to Riolu, but he was too focused on whatever he sensed.

Ash groaned, "Aww man! It's a dead end."

 _Hmm. This wall is definitely a lot taller than the rest of the walls. At least 30 feet up. Plus, it's much more reflective._ I walked over to the wall and dragged my fingers along the surface, pulling back to look at my hand.

"What is it? Do you see something?" Korrina asked me.

I shook my head, "That's the thing. This wall is spotless. The rest of the mirrors have dust particles and gravel all over them, but this one is perfectly clean."

I stepped back as a sudden chill ran down my spine. _I don't like this. I REALLY don't like this._ Then we saw a shadow in the mirror.

"Who's there?" Ash asked as we all turned around to face… _there's nothing there._

We turned back and the shadow seemed even closer to us. But again, there was nothing behind us.

"Lucario and Riolu are both staring right at this thing, but they're looking ahead." Korrina remarked as she got into a battle position.

Then an idea hit me, "You guys don't think that thing is inside the m-"

As I spoke, the figure stepped out of the mirror and into the light. It was around 40 years old, a massive gut, greasy black hair, tan skin, auburn eyes and two lightning-bolt shaped marks on its cheeks. It had a white shirt with grease stains that looked made for a skinny 10-year-old, torn jeans, a blue vest that also didn't fit, and one heavily stained red cap with a white front and green angle mark in the front. Lucario and Riolu jumped back to Korrina and I, respectively while the figure advanced in Ash's direction.

 _He looks familiar._ I turned to Ash and was shocked to see his face deathly white and Pikachu's expression one of recognition and pure horror.

The figure stepped forward again and lifted its head, revealing the elderly, decrepit, but no-less iconic face of Ash Ketchum. It opened its mouth and whispered in a ghastly voice, "I wanted to be the very best. I was going to catch them all."

Korrina and I were both completely perplexed, "What's happening?" But no response came.

Ash and Pikachu stepped back and the former asked, "What are-who are you?"

The Mirror-Ash stopped and stared at Ash, "I'm who you're destined to become. I'm your inevitability."

Ash grit his teeth, "No. No you're not. You're not me!"

Mirror-Ash cocked his head before continuing toward Ash. All the while, he said, "You will fail. You can't win. You can't become a Pokémon Master. You can't be an Aura Guardian. You can't do anything. You are a failure, Ash Ketchum. Born to a father who did not love you enough to stay. Born to a mother who could not teach you what you needed to know in life. Born into an existence unworthy of the smallest bacterium. Even when you might win, you fail. When your victory seems closer than close, tangible enough to seize within your hand, you fail. You are failure incarnate."

The two were practically touching now, Ash paralyzed by fear and pain at the figure's words.

"Don't listen to him, Ash!" cried Korrina.

"Pika, pikapi!" Pikachu cheered from Ash's shoulder. He fired a Thunderbolt at Mirror-Ash, halting the copy in its tracks.

Ash heard their words and shook his head, looking back at his mirror image with renewed vigor. He started walking toward the poltergeist, forcing the latter to step back. And again. And again. And so on until they were back at the mirror.

All the while, Ash yelled, "I'm not a failure! I'm going to be the greatest Pokémon Trainer you ever lived! As long as I keep my head on straight, nobody, even my evil twin, is going to bring me down!"

Seeing my protégé take control of the situation, I shouted, "Ash, you are the most talented aura user I've ever met! I've never seen anybody show as much talent or promise as you have. In just three months, you've already done more than most people take years for. You're as worthy as anyone!"

Ash smiled with confidence and stepped back, winding up for a punch. His fist started to glow bright blue. Ash roared as he punched Mirror-Ash right through the glass. The wall and imitation shattered, but simply vanished before hitting the floor.

I ran to Ash and patted his back, "Good job. That was awesome!" Then I saw the hidden passage behind the wall: a staircase going down a level, "Wow. Double whammy." I said as I started walking down the stair, followed closely by my companions and their Pokémon.

* * *

Shalour City, Kalos Region (Afternoon)

 _ **3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **Person POV**_

Gurkinn led the gang down the ramp towards the Tower of Mastery, "While they finish their quest, why don't I show you around the Tower?"

The group smiled and Dawn spoke, "Yea, that'd be great!"

Brock added, "I'd love to see some real Mega Stones!"

Gurkinn nodded, "Indeed. Mega Stones are truly magnificent. Unlike any other substance in the world. The tower is just past here and across a short land bridge."

The group came to the end of the ramp on a beach that led to a land bridge. Except there was no bridge, just vast expanse of ocean.

May groaned, "Aww no! I really wanted to see it."

Serena whined, "Why?!"

Gurkinn frowned and walked to the water's edge, "This doesn't make sense. It should be low-tide right now. In fact, the water seems to be at maximum height."

Then someone from atop the ramp we just descended called down, "You won't have any luck today, Gurkinn! The water's been like that for days now. Haven't been able to do anything out on the sea for a while."

"Thanks for the information!" Gurkinn said graciously while turning back to examine the water, "He said a few days, right?"

"Yea, but what does that help?" Brock asked, kneeling next to Gurkinn.

Gurkinn frowned deeper, "Tides don't stay in one place for days at a time. Furthermore, look at how calm the water is. There are waves as high as a house on this beach during high tide." True to his word, the coast was steely calm for hundreds of yards in any direction. He placed a hand atop the water and closed his eyes.

The concentration and mannerism was instantly recognizable to the group. "He's using aura sense!" Serena remarked with surprise.

Gurkinn answered the question when he said, "I can see some sort of wall holding the water up off the seafloor. It's also obstructing the current and waves." Opening his eyes, he added, "I could use your help figuring out what's happening, if you're okay with that."

"Sure. We'd be happy to help you!" Dawn replied with the nodding support of her companions.

Gurkinn smiled, "Thank you. Truly." He seized a Pokéball and threw it up high, "Alakazam, I need your assistance." In a flash, an Alakazam appeared, spoons poised like daggers. "Use Psychic to lift the water up!"

Alakazam nodded, held his arms out and moved them up as high eyes flashed ice blue. The water followed his hands, enveloped by a pale blue outline. Alakazam had carved a sizable bubble, roughly big enough to fit five people and a humanoid Pokémon with room to spare, out of the water.

"Follow me, kids." Gurkinn commanded as we started to walk along the declining seafloor the water, Alakazam's bubble protecting us from the water.

Brock remarked, "The waters here are supposed to be rich is all sorts of wildlife, but I can't see any Pokémon at all."

May commented, "But there sure are some beautiful rocks down here." She pointed to several hundred gleaming stones embedded throughout the sea floor.

Gurkinn smiled, "Those aren't just rocks. They're Mega Stones. The ground here is sacred and as a result of being so well taken care of, Mega Stones grow here like fruit on a tree."

After a few minutes of walking, we reached the "wall" described by Gurkinn. It appeared more like a force field repelling the water. Through the field, we could make out a few blurred moving figures. Once the wall entered into the vicinity of the bubble, Gurkinn examined it, deciding how to best open up a path.

"Alright, Psycho Cut!" Gurkinn commanded. Alakazam moved one of its arms in a diagonal movement along the field, splitting it open with a blade of purple energy. "Now, quickly!"

We all ran through the opening as it slowly repaired itself. Alakazam barely made it through before the tear mended itself, trapping us inside.

"Oh great, not you twoips!" A voice called.

Dawn groaned, "Not these clowns again!"

James smiled, "We haven't gotten to do our motto in a while. This will be good for us!"

Jessie nodded, "And it's always good to get a shot at our lovely Pikachu!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all evils within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of-"

Jessie spoke out, "Hey, where's Pikachu?"

James, "And the lead twerp?"

Meowth sighed with relief, "At least that mean twerp isn't here." His compatriots similarly sighed, the scars still fresh from Jayden's verbal assault back in Ambrette Town.

"What are you guys doing here?" Brock demanded to know, a Pokéball firmly grasped within his hand.

Jessie chuckled, "Isn't it obvious? We're mining jewels!" She pointed to a large vacuum-like machine stuck in the ground that occasionally pulled up a Mega Stone from deep below and deposited them into a metal container. The top of the machine also had some type of projector that cast the force field.

Gurkinn growled, "You fools; those are no ordinary gems! You have no idea the power you're messing with."

Meowth snickered, "I'm sure we doin' all sorts of dangerous thins. But how's about youse worry about your new cell?"

The elderly trainer raised an eyebrow, "Cell? What cell? What're you talking about?" In response, Meowth threw a disc at him that quickly expanded and unfurled, revealing a compact cage that now trapped Gurkinn.

James laughed, "Good one, Meowth! Now let's take care of the rest of the twerps. Go, Inkay!" In a flash, a small squid-like Pokémon appeared.

"Pumpkaboo and Wobbuffet, come out and destroy these brats!" Jessie cried as she sent out a small pumpkin and her iconic blue balloon-like creature.

"Meowth, that's right!" Meowth shouted as he charged with the others.

Brock grit his teeth, "Crobat, I choose you!" He released his four-winged Poison-type bat.

"Beautifly, I choose you!" May called as her first catch appeared in a bright flash.

"Fennekin, you're up!" Serena said as she tossed her partner's Pokéball into the air.

"Togekiss, spotlight!" Dawn sent out her flying-type.

Gurkinn called through his cage, "Alakazam, help them as much as you can. I'm going to call for help." Alakazam, although tired from the exhaustive effort of transporting everyone down through the water, got ready to do battle. Meanwhile, Gurkinn crossed his legs, closed his eyes and began meditating.

* * *

Reflection Cave, Kalos Region (Afternoon)

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

"Great. Another dead end." I remarked as we were forced to stop not thirty feet from the end of the staircase.

Korrina just chuckled, "Don't worry! If all we have to do is smash mirrors to find the next exit, then Lucario and I can do that!"

Before Ash or I could say anything, Korrina ran around breaking mirrors with a rock she found on the ground. Lucario also used Bone Rush to break as many as he could. Even Riolu shattered one with Aura Sphere before I shot him a dirty look.

However, by the time the duo was done, all they had to show for their efforts were several thousand pieces of reflective rock, no hidden passage, and exhaustion.

Panting, Korrina lamented, "Well that was a lot less successful than I would've hoped."

I facepalmed, "You think?"

Ash walked around the room, "I don't get it. Why would none of the mirrors have an opening?"

Korrina tapped her chin, then exclaimed as if remembering something, "Ooh! The last mirror was spotless! And these were all normal and dirty!"

I raised an eyebrow, "So where's the big, clean one?"

We all started looking around for any mirror Korrina and Lucario could have missed. Then I heard my female compatriot scream.

"Korrina?!" I exclaimed, turning around with a jolt.

She was staring down at the mirror on the floor. Directly under her was her reflection. But across from her reflection was… _that's her reflection, too. Two reflections? Wait…the floor: it's clean. This is the one! The floor is the door!_

"There's a second me!" she screamed. The Mirror-Korrina stood upside down on the other side of the floor, as if trapped in another world. She turned her head occasionally, but generally didn't move.

Ash commented, "It's not even doing anything. It's just staring at you."

On cue, Lucario appeared in the mirror world too. Then he fell over. Then he got back up and fell over again. Each time he fell over, a small yellow object would slip out of Mirror-Korrina's hand and fall upwards against the floor since they were upside down.

I knelt down, "These are badges. This is just a loop of you losing gym battles." It turned to Korrina, "This mean anything to you?"

But my friend was clutching her shoulders, clearly upset at the sight. _She thinks she's going to be a bad gym leader._

Ash placed a hand on her shoulder, apparently cognizant of the situation as well, "Korrina, you can't think so badly of yourself. I mean, you just started as a Gym Leader!"

Korrina shook her head, "I know, but my grandpa was such a powerful one, I feel like I'll let him down and bring shame to the whole Gym!"

Then Lucario walked over to her and took her hand. I couldn't understand what they were thinking, but I saw Korrina break into a smile, "Yea! You're right. We might not win every battle and we might not be as good as my grandpa, but tomorrow is a new day and I'm not gonna give up!"

The mirror world faded and the floor began to drop like an elevator.

I smiled, "You did it, Korrina! You overcame your obstacle!"

She smiled down at Lucario, "It was a team effort, right Lucario?" Her partner affirmed her with a fist bump. Then she turned to me, "But now it's your turn, right? You're the only one who hasn't had to go through an obstacle."

I nodded as the platform stopped, revealing another short hallway with just one mirror up front. And there was already something waiting for me, ready to go.

I squinted and recognized the figure. _No. Please, not this._

Shalour City, Kalos Region (Late Afternoon)

 _ **3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **Person**_

"Quilava, use Flame Wheel on Pumpkaboo!" Quilava outlined its body in flames and started rolling toward the floating pumpkin at high speed.

Jessie ordered, "Wobbuffet, use Counter!" Wobbuffet leapt in front of Quilava and took the attack. Then, Wobbuffet hit back with an orange arm, knocking the fire-type back.

"Steelix, use Iron Tail on Inkay." Steelix charged at Inkay with a glowing tail.

"Stop it with Psychic!" James called. Inkay's eyes glowed blue and it focused on the fast-approaching tail. However, it could not stop it in time and Inkay was sent flying.

For the last twenty minutes, Team Rocket and the gang had been going back and forth with attacks, doing their best to fight without destroying the force field keeping them safe from the ocean above.

May growled "We're not getting anywhere! Blaze Kick." Blaziken leapt up and slammed into Pumpkaboo with a fiery kick.

Serena nodded, "I agree! Flamethrower." Fennekin launched a beam of fire at Wobbuffet. However, Wobbuffet used Mirror Coat to send it back at Fennekin. Luckily, she was able to dodge in time. Unfortunately, the attack hit the exhausted Alakazam, knocking him out.

"Eat my Fury Swipes!" Meowth cried as he dove towards Steelix. However, Wobbuffet accidently crossed his path, causing him to bounce back right towards the force field projector, setting off some sort of explosion

Jessie and James looked at each other, "Oh, crap."

The force field suddenly vanished, causing a torrent of water to rush into the seabed. The water forced everyone up and out of the ocean, sending them hurdling to the top of the water and onto the beach.

May groaned, dizzy from the rapid change in location, "Guys? Everybody okay?" Her vision was blurry, but she could make out Dawn and Serena lying down on the beach, apparently knocked out from the ordeal.

She heard sputtering to her side and saw Brock come to, "Ugh. May? Is that you?"

May nodded as she helped Brock to his feet, "Yea, it's me. DO you feel as terrible as I do right now?"

Brock grabbed his head and groaned, "Maybe worse. Where's Team Rocket?"

"Toodlehoo! We're up here!" Jessie called in a singsong voice. We looked up to see the Meowth balloon flying high above us. A crate attached to the basket carried the unconscious Fennekin, Quilava, Alakazam and Blaziken.

"Steelix, stop them!" Brock commanded, but to no avail; Steelix lay unconscious in the sand from the water.

"Go Glaceon!" May called, releasing her icy fox. "Ice Beam on the balloon." As Glaceon fired the attack, May felt more and more dizzy until progressively falling down and losing all consciousness.

"Gla? Glaceon gla!" Glaceon turned her attention from the escaping crooks to focus on her fallen trainer.

"May? Oh no. Croagunk, come out and use Poison St-" Before he could finish, Brock collapsed too, his vision fading rapidly.

Before he fell asleep, he heard Gurkinn yell, the sounds of screaming and a powerful roar.

* * *

Reflection Cave, Kalos Region (Late Afternoon)

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

"Who's that?" Ash asked, cocking his head quizzically at the sight of the silent figure.

It was around 5'9" and wearing a sleeveless white cloak with a hood pulled over. The trim was red and several leather armor plates adorned the cloak. However, there were bright red stains all over the cloak and in either hand were twin ninjaken swords with blades about three feet long. Each blade was coated in something that dripped off at the end.

 _Oh god. It's really…no. No no no! I can't…not this one._

"Jayden, are you okay?" Korrina asked me, noticing the cold sweats forming along my neck and face.

I was about to answer, but when I turned, she was gone. I turned to the other side and Ash was gone too.

"Ash? Korrina? What the…where are you guys?" I called. Then I saw them directly in front of me…and behind the figure, trapped inside the mirror door.

My eyes widened, "You trapped them?"

No response.

"What do you want?"

Still no response.

"What are you, exactly?"

Then he was right in front of me, swords forming an X-pattern over my neck. He whispered, "Isn't it obvious?"

Right as he sliced, I used my super speed to run away and regain my bearings. _What the hell? Did he just try to kill me?_

The figure made a move toward me so I ran back again. Only this time, I kept moving. Around and around until I had an idea of what to do. Then I turned around and saw him trailing behind me. While I left behind green streams of aura, his were red and malicious.

 _He's as fast as me! But he's definitely not as strong as me!_ I tapped into the rest of my power, only to feel the seal on my torso burn, causing my connection to aura go away. I skidded to an uneasy halt and fell over, colliding painfully with a wall.

 _My aura…it's gone! The seal activated with my gloves on? This is not good! I'm even weaker than before. Overexerting against Hunter J must've done a number on me._

The figure stood over me and dangled a sword over my head, "Is that all? I truly expected more."

I grit my teeth, "I can show you more. Believe me, I'm not even close to done." I forced myself up and roared, feeling the seal strain to stop me from accessing more power. _Come on! Just a bit more!_

Once I felt like I had enough, I started barraging the figure with a Close Combat, then with a Mega Kick to the head and finishing it up with a point-blank Dragon Pulse. He was thrown into the next wall with enough force to shatter every bone in a normal person's body. But he was unfazed.

"Grr! What the hell?!" I dashed at full speed and threw my knee into his chest, forcing his body into the wall. Yet he was still perfectly intact.

The figure grinned and seized my throat, squeezing it as hard as he could and throwing me onto the floor with minimal effort. "You can't hurt me. I'm part of you." He held the sword to my sore neck and whispered, "Luckily, you aren't part of me."

The metallic sound of a blade whirling through the hair rang throughout the cave, as did the sound of a lifeless body hitting the floor.

* * *

 **GASP! NOOOO!**

 **Anyways next chapter should be up soon. I experiment with 3** **rd** **person here so tell me what you thought of it in a PM or review por favor.**

' **K bye!**


	17. Le Morte d'Jayden

**Hey…it's been a while…How've you been?**

 **I've been super freaking busy with senior year stuff and college applications. I still am, but I have some free time to get back into this.**

 **I could make this chapter a lot longer, but in the interest of giving you guys content as soon as I can, I'll just deliver a short one right now and give you guys some longer ones afterwards (I mean over 7,500 words).**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. If I did, the anime wouldn't have changed its art style.**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Le Morte d'Jayden Et La Tromperie d'Trainer Jayden**

Tower of Mastery, Kalos Region (Late Afternoon)

 _ **May's POV**_

I sat up with a start, vomiting sea water, sea weed, and a whole host of other things I'd rather not mention. I tried to look around, but my eyes were adjusting very slowly to…wherever I was.

 _Ugh. What the hell happened?_

I saw some sort of figure move in front of me. Right as my vision finally restored itself, Gurkinn sat next to me and offered a plate of crackers with some water. I saw that I was in a bed inside some sort of infirmary that looked like it was ripped out of Hogwarts.

"Gurkinn? Where are we?" I asked before I recalled the battle with Team Rocket, trying to get out of the bed, "Glaceon! Is she okay? And the others?"

"Sshh." Gurkinn held up his hand and slowly eased me back into my bed, "Don't worry. Your friends are all recuperating with you, see?" He gestured around the infirmary where, sure enough, the sleeping figures of Brock, Serena, and Dawn could be seen.

"As for Glaceon, she's with the other Pokémon having a well-deserved meal in the courtyard." Gurkinn smiled reassuringly as he re-offered the crackers and water.

I took the crackers graciously, but, recalling what I just vomited, declined the water. While munching, I asked, "So what happened exactly? After we blacked out?"

Gurkinn sat on a nearby stool and recalled, "After you all fell unconscious, my Lucario showed up. Using Mega Evolution, we were able to defeat Team Rocket, free the captured Pokémon and recover the stolen Mega Stones."

He readjusted himself in his seat and continued, "I could see that you were all wounded so I brought you to the Tower of Master to recover." He then smiled at me, "You know May, you were very brave today."

I smiled and looked at my lap sheepishly, "Oh it was nothing."

Gurkinn shook his head, "No, it was certainly something. Your resilience and bond with your Pokémon is the reason that those stones didn't end up in the hands of crooks who wouldn't be able to comprehend their power. I see that as heroic." His expression lit up, "And I know just how to repay you for your efforts."

I smiled before a Gurkinn suddenly clutched his stomach in pain and looked up with a ghastly look, "Korrina and the others."

* * *

Reflection Cave, Kalos Region (Late Afternoon)

 _ **Jayden's POV**_

The apparition's blade swung through the air with a metallic ring. I tried to access my aura. Any of it. But I felt the seal burn across my chest, preventing any power from coming to my rescue.

 _Well, consider this a shitty end to a pretty shitty life._ I closed my eyes and prepared for the inevitable. I felt the blade touch my neck, a single drop of blood exiting from the cut, sending a jolt of fiery pain throughout my body. _Oh god, this is going to hurt._

Then, time froze. I opened my eyes and saw that the apparition had all but stopped, moving barely a millimeter in a span of several seconds. _What the hell? It's like when I move at full speed._

I heard a voice I never expected, or wanted, to hear again.

A young boy's voice: "Is that it?"

 _No. Stop it_

"You're going to let Ash and Korrina die in some random mirror in a cave?"

 _Shut up. Leave me alone!_

"What about Flare and Hunter J? They're a threat to everyone. But go ahead, sit back and let other people get hurt because of you."

 _I would never…that's not fair! I didn't…_

"Don't you remember what happened to me?" A familiar and scarring image flashed through my vision. The image of a loved one's broken body.

 _No…I…Meku._

I looked at Ash and Korrina, trapped in the mirror. Then I gazed at the apparition. _No. Not today. Not ever again. Never…never…never!_

For a brief moment, the seal's burning faded away and I felt a strength I hadn't felt in over a year. All the while, I kept repeating: _Never! Never! Never!_

The dust on the cavern started to swirl around me, following tiny streams of blue-green energy in a vortex. I started feeling more power than I could have imagined. A tidal wave of energy coursed through my body, crackling through my every nerve. Electricity arced across my body as my eyes glowed brightly.

I stared back at Ash and Korrina, then at my mirror image.

I whispered, "Never again."

Suddenly, I was behind the apparition. It completed his swing, the metallic blade cutting cleanly through air. The sudden loss of its target threw off its balance during the follow-through, causing it to spin around in a hurry.

Then, I punched it as hard as I could, crumpling him onto the floor and sending the sound of its lifeless body hitting the floor to echo throughout the cavern. Upon touching the floor, the apparition shattered.

I smirked and turned back to my friends, only to find them still suspended in the mirror.

"What the…Gah!" I felt an incomprehensible pain in my chest. I looked down to see a bloodied sword jutting from my sternum. The sword must've triggered something because the seal chose to reactivate itself at that precise moment and it was none too pleased at being awoken.

I collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood and clutching my searing torso. My eyes were forced shut from the pain, but I still felt a foot step onto my chest and heard the apparition's voice ring, "I told you that you can't beat me. I'm a part of you."

My hands clawed at the foot, but to no avail. Then, I heard Pika cry, "Kachupi!"

 _With me and this...thing...running at top speed, it must've only been a few seconds for Pika. Maybe he can take him out for good._ I opened my mouth, gasping more than talking, "Pika, Thunder!"

Pika charged up, filling the air with static. I felt my hairs stand on end and braced myself. Soon enough, Pika roared and I felt a rush of electrical energy zap past me, blasting the apparition off of me.

I slowly opened my eyes to see Pika licking my face. I rubbed his cheek, "Thanks, buddy. You did really good today."

Groaning, I sat up and put my hand to my chest. _What the…_ I was surprised to find it dry and devoid of sword-holes. _I could've sword he stabbed me._

"Jayden!" Ash said as he fell out of the mirror, "What happened?"

Korrina rubbed her head, "Ugh, why does my brain feel like it melted and solidified?" Her Lucario nodded while massing his own skull.

I stood up and brushed off my clothes, "You guys got stuck inside that mirror over there while I dealt with an apparition." I pointed to the wall perpendicular to us, only to see an opening to a gleaming cavern in its place.

Korrina grinned and dashed towards the entrance, "This must be the end of the road!" Lucario cheered by her side.

Ash and I took off running behind her. As we crossed through the opening, Ash asked, "So what was your mirror person?"

I turned to him, "Hmm?" _He didn't see?_

"Your mirror person. Your test. Like…what did you see while we were stuck in the mirror?"

"Oh. Uh…" I turned away and quickly thought of a white lie, "My old history teacher."

Ash stopped running and looked at me with a perplexed gaze. Pikachu did the same. Even Pika looked a little startled at my lie, "Really? Your history teacher?"

I sheepishly chuckled and rubbed my head, "Yea, my history teacher. I was pretty bad at school back in the day."

Ash shrugged, "I guess I wouldn't know. I didn't really go to school."

Now it was my turn to look perplexed, "Really? You NEVER went to school?" My friend nodded with a smile. I shrugged, "Honestly, that explains a lot."

I ran towards Korrina before I heard a peeved, "Hey!" behind me.

When we both reached our female compatriot, she pointed at a staircase in front of us that led to a pedestal with a glowing orange stone. On either side of the stairs were crystal-clear pools of water that glowed a faint blue from some luminescent crystals on their rocky bed.

Korrina looked intently at the orange stone, "That's the Lucarionite! I recognize it from my grandpa's Lucario." She turned to her partner, "Ready to Mega Evolve, Lucario?"

Lucario grinned and nodded. "Lucario!" he roared.

The duo started to hike up the slippery stone stairs, only to be knocked flying into the pool on the left by a large white figure.

"What the heck?" Korrina sputtered, shivering from the icy water.

"Gallade!" The figure cried from atop the steps. While reminiscent of other members of its species, this Gallade had a mostly white body, extended arm blades and a flowing cape.

My eyes widened, "That's Mega Gallade!"

Ash grinned, "Wow! A Mega Gallade? I've never seen one before."

I gulped, "That might be for the best. This one looks like it's guarding the Lucarionite."

Mega Gallade roared and got into a ready position on the stairs like a knight about to charge.

Korrina and Lucario climbed back onto land and stood in front of Ash and I, "Looks like Gallade's not gonna let up until we beat it. That's no trouble, right Lucario?"

Lucario nodded in agreement and got into his ready position.

"Ash, Jayden, you guys sit this one out. I'm gonna do this on my own!" Ash and I looked at each other and stepped back.

The young Gym Leader tugged on her gloves to readjust them and commanded, "Lucario, Bone Rush!"

Lucario dashed towards Mega Gallade with a long staff made of blue energy. At the last moment, he jumped up, twirled the staff above his head, and brought it crashing down on Gallade's skull.

The bone shattered instantly, leaving three humans and three Pokémon with wide eyes. Gallade, however, just kept standing, barely shifted in his place from the attack. In response, Mega Gallade used Psycho Cut, slashing at Lucario with pink energy, sending him flying back towards Korrina.

"N-no way" Korrina sputtered, amazed at the powerful foe in front of her. Then she grinned as her and Lucario's eyes started to glow red, "Looks like we need to get serious."

Ash whispered, "So she's trying to use Aura Sense to even the odds. That might work, if she can figure out Gallade's weak points."

"Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Korrina punched in the air as Lucario sent a ball of glowing blue energy towards Gallade.

Then, the latter's first glowed bright white as he swatted the Aura Sphere out of the air.

"Grr! So he knows Focus Punch, huh? Counter with your Focus Punch!" Korrina cried.

Lucario dashed towards Mega Gallade and met the latter's fist with his own. Energy crackled off the collision and while the force was moving back and forth between the two Pokémon, it was clear that Mega Gallade was exerting much less effort than Lucario.

Then Korrina smiled in the corner of her mouth, "Lucario, use your free hand to Bone Rush Gallade's right knee and then his left arm!"

Lucario complied, quickly knocking at his opponent's leg before jutting the opposite end of the bone out, smashing into the hand. Gallade fell back, howling with pain.

"Now, finish him off with an Aura Sphere!" Lucario quickly charged an Aura Sphere in his palm and fired it at point-blank range. He leapt back as he released to attack to avoid the shockwave, grinning with pride. When the smoke cleared away, Mega Gallade had vanished, leaving behind a very tired, very normal Gallade in his stead. He stood up and leaped away, vanishing behind a stalactite.

Korrina cheered, "We did it! We beat Gallade! Well done, Lucario!"

Ash and I ran up to congratulate her. "Awesome job!" Ash said, high-fiving her while Pikachu and Pika applauded a beaming Lucario.

I smiled, "That was pretty awesome."

Korrina turned her attention to the pedestal, "Now to get the Lucarionite…for realsies!" This time, no speeding Pokémon obstructed her path as she grabbed the large crystal and walked down the stairs, "Oof! This is a lot heavier than I expected."

Ash smirked and reached for it, "Oh come on. It can't be that-OH MY FINGERS!" I cringed as the weight of the Lucarionite smashed Ash's hand against the rocky floor.

* * *

Tower of Mastery, Kalos Region (Late Night)

 _ **May's POV**_

I sat on the steps leading to the tower's front entrance with Serena as we awaited the return of our friends. Brock and Dawn were working on dinner while Gurkinn contacted a friend for 'Mega Evolution business'.

I turned to Serena, only to see that she was looking at me. We quickly turned our heads away and tapped the ground awkwardly.

 _Well this isn't weird at all. You know, despite her being one of only two girls I see on a daily basis, I don't think she talks a lot._

I twiddled my thumbs, "So…how's life?" I mentally facepalmed. _Dammit, we've been around each other for almost three months! I know how life is!_

Serena, however, seemed more surprised that I had started a conversation than my stupid question, "Oh. Well it's…good I guess. Lots of pretty places to see. Nice people to be around. How's your life?"

"Pretty good."

"Yup."

 _Okay this is just painful. Ask her something interesting. Bond with her dammit!_

I quickly thought of a conversation topic and went with it, "Are you thinking of trying out a contest? Or are you thinking you're more of a battler?"

Serena shrugged, but looked at the starry sky thoughtfully, "Honestly, I'm not sure. I mean, I'd rather be a coordinator, but I just don't like battling in general. Even in a contest, it just seems so…scary."

I cocked my head curiously, "Really? I never would've guessed you were against battling considering how you beat up Jayden at my last contest."

Her face went pink, "You heard about that?"

I laughed a little, "I saw the bruise on his face and guessed."

Serena chuckled and laid back on the stony steps, "It's not that I'm against battling. I just couldn't bear to see Fennekin get hurt." Serena took out her only Pokéball and gazed at it with an affection I could only describe as nurturing, "Fennekin's more than just my Pokémon: she's my friend and I don't wanna see her get hurt."

"That's so sweet of you! I feel the same way whenever I'm in a battle. It always sucks to see your Pokémon get hurt, but it's worth it to improve, both as a team and as battlers."

Serena looked surprised, "Wow. I've never heard a coordinator talk about battling like that. Most of the ones I've talked to always said battling was a waste."

I chuckled, "Well I actually set out to be a trainer when I started my journey, but I decided to try contests and I just liked them more. Although Ash showed me a lot about battling while we first travelled together so that influenced me a lot too."

Serena turned away, "Do you think Ash would hate me if he knew I didn't like battling?"

I raised an eyebrow, "What? Of course not! He's so sweet, I don't think he's capable of disliking people, outside of Team Rocket, of course."

Serena turned back to the sky and whispered with a smile, "Good."

"Why do you ask about Ash specifically. DO you like him?" I teased with a grin.

Then Serena's face went bright red and I gasped. _Holy crap._

I laughed out loud, "Oh my god, you do! You're totally into Ash!"

She sat up and stared at me intently with a look of embarrassment, "Don't go announcing that to the whole city!" She then buried her head in her knees

I slowed my laughing down to a giggle and nodded, "Okay, I won't. But it's nothing to be ashamed over! Everyone's had their own little crush on Ash before."

Serena looked up at me, "Really?"

I nodded, "Yea. His first traveling companion Misty was crazy for him. Still might be for all I know. Dawn had a thing for him too, but she probably got over it. Even I had a crush on Ash for a long time."

"What made you stop? Liking Ash, I mean."

Now it was my turn to look at the stars, "Umm…I don't really know. Maybe it was when I realized how incredibly dense he is." We both giggled at that, "Or maybe it was when we split up and I stopped being around him so much."

"So does being around him again reignite that feeling?" She asked me, a hint of nervousness at the possible competition in her voice.

I laughed and waved my hand, "Nah. I'm over that for good." Then I felt some sort of pang in my chest. Unlike the feeling from inside the hospital wing, this one didn't give me any sort of instinctive cause to attribute the feeling to.

 _Hmm… weird._

Serena leapt up and pointed towards the land bridge in front of the tower, "Look! They're here!"

True enough, three exhausted looking teens and three equally exhausted Pokémon were trudging towards us.

"Hey!" I shouted, waving my arm frantically.

Ash broke into a grin, "Hi! We got the Lucarionite!" He gestured to a large orange crystal in Korrina's arms.

Serena marveled, "Woah! It's huge."

"And very heavy." A purple-faced Korrina wheezed as she moved past us, presumably to show her grandfather the stone.

We all chuckled and Serena added, "Also, Brock and Dawn have dinner in the hall-" She was cut off as Ash dragged her into the tower, presumably to guide him towards food.

I turned to Jayden and wrinkled my nose, "Ugh, you smell."

He chuckled, "Can you show me to a shower then?"

I nodded with a smile and took him to the bedrooms on the third floor of the tower. Along the way, I noticed that he winced with almost every step, as if he was in pain.

"Are you okay? Your face looks like you're hurt." I asked as I opened the door to his room.

Jayden smiled, "Oh yea, no I'm fine. I feel great."

Then he fell over and started groaning and writhing on the floor. Something under his shirt started to glow bright orange.

"Jayden!" I exclaimed, kneeling next to him. I grabbed onto his arm and felt his forehead for a fever. However, I felt some sort of shock and leaped back with a yelp.

"Kachupi!" Pika cried, reaching for a Pokéball on Jayden's belt. He opened it, revealing Riolu.

Riolu and Pika quickly got to work removing Jayden's shirt, revealing a glowing mark of some sort and a well-muscled body-

"May!" Jayden gritted through his teeth to get my attention, "Close the door."

I complied and watched as Riolu placed his paw on Jayden's chest, closing his eyes as the appendages on his head shot up. A blue energy flowed out of Riolu's paw and formed a spiral around Jayden. It appeared like the blue energy, the aura, was sucking the orange light out of Jayden, leaving only a black marker that quickly faded away.

Soon enough, Jayden sat up, looking much better, although tired, "Thank you, Riolu. Take a rest." He recalled Riolu and turned to me with a groan, "Why is that every time something happens, you're the one who sees it?"

"What was that?" I asked with wide eyes.

Jayden motioned for me to help him onto the bed before he answered, "It's a seal on me. It stops me from using my powers without my gloves. Or it did. Now it just reacts if I use aura at all." He rubbed Pika's head as he nuzzled against him.

I raised my eyebrows, "Why do you have that on you?"

He looked around and sighed, "Someone put on me out of revenge. I'm still working on how to get rid of it."

"So how can you teach Ash if you can't use aura? And why keep using it?"

He shrugged, "I'll think of some way to train Ash. And as for why I keep using it, it's because trouble seems to follow me around."

I rubbed my forehead, "But why did your gloves stop the seal in the past and why not anymore? And who exactly did this to you? What did you do to make them mad?"

Jayden raised a hand, "I promise I'll answer all of your questions tomorrow, but for now, I just need to shower and eat."

With that, he stepped into the bathroom and I soon heard the sound of water running. However, as I was walking out, I felt a warmth in my skin right as Jayden cried, "Ah, hot water! Hot!"

 _What was that?_ I shrugged it off and walked to the dining hall.

* * *

Unknown, Kalos Region (Midnight)

A woman with short and cleanly managed purple hair knelt behind a tall man with fiery red hair, "Sir, we've received information from a police report in Shalour City. Apparently, several hundred Mega Stones were found in the ocean bed and are now in the possession of the former gym leader."

The man exhaled slowly in acknowledgement before responding in an apathetic and monotone voice, "Well done, Celosia. Take Aliana and lead a small force to confiscate the stones."

Celosia nodded, "Yes sir."

"Celosia." This time, the voice had considerably more malice to it.

The woman felt a chill down, "Yes, sir?"

"I don't need to tell you to keep a low profile do I? You remember what happened to the last person who failed me, yes?"

The image of Hunter J's broken and badly beaten corpse flashed through Celosia's head as she quickly responded, "No, sir. They won't even know we were there."

With that, the Team Flare admin walked out of her boss' office and upon quickly swapping her red overcoat for a brown trench coat, exited the small building and walked down Autumnal Avenue, the bright lights of the under-repair Lumiose Tower illuminating her way.

* * *

 **DUM DUM DAH!**

 **Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter! If you did, give me some feedback in a review, PM or a post on Beme…what's that?... it got sold for $25 million? Never mind then, you guys. Just leave a review.**

' **K bye.**


	18. Training with the Master

**ATTENTION!**

 **ATTENTION!**

 **SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT AT THE END!**

 **Also, I want to do a Q &A of some kind so just PM me questions about the story/characters or leave them in a reivew and we can do soemthing like that. And SPOILER: it's gonna be a part of the actual story.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. I'm poor.**

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Training with the Master**

Tower of Mastery, Front Steps - Kalos Region (Morning)

 _ **Third Person (I'm trying new things)**_

The sun shined brightly over the glistening ocean water as Ash sprinted across the land bridge.

 _Alright. Last lap. Let's go!_ He chanted mentally, panting as he came into the final stretch of his run.

"Pi Pikapi!" Pikachu cried as he and Froakie dashed alongside his trainer. Fletchling could be seen gliding a few feet over their heads.

Brock, Dawn and Piplup were sitting on the Tower's front steps, sipping Kalosian coffee as they watched their traveling companion push his and his Pokémons' limits.

The young coordinator smiled while rubbing Piplup's head, "Something I forgot while I was in Johto was just how passionate Ash could get about training."

Brock nodded with a chuckle, "You should've seen how he was with Paul in Sinnoh. I'd never seen Ash work so hard. At least until he started aura training."

"Alright, gang. Here we go!" Ash cried as he and his loyal Pokémon dashed at the foot of the stairs, only for to all simultaneously lose their balance and fall over in a collective heap, save for Fletchling.

"Ugh, ow." Ash groaned as he stood up, rubbing the shoulder he fell on."

Dawn and Brock laughed at Ash as Piplup laughed at Pikachu and Froakie, only to get a beak full of Frubbles. As the two water-types fought, Pikachu sweat-dropped and got onto his favorite spot on Ash's shoulder.

"You have a good run?" Dawn asked, handing the grateful trainer a cup of water.

After chugging its contents, Ash set the cup down and responded, "Yea, it was great training, right buddy?"

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu pumped his fist up.

Brock rubbed his chin, "Although, it was weird that Jayden didn't go run too. He normally gets up to go with you whenever you do a morning workout."

Dawn tapped her chin, "Yea. Come to think of it, that is strange. Although he was really tired last night."

"Yea. He didn't even eat anything. Just showered and went to bed." Brock added.

Ash's eyes widened momentarily, "Speaking of Jayden, have you guys seen him at all? I need his gloves so I can practice with aura."

His friends both shrugged and shook their heads so Ash went inside the Tower, after recalling his other Pokémon, leaving Piplup confused in a boxing stance.

Ash poked his head into the kitchen where Korrina, Serena, and Gurkinn were sitting at the table with breakfast, "Has anyone seen Jayden or his gloves?"

Korrina finished her mouthful of pancakes and responded, "He's still sleeping. So's May. We just washed his clothes, though, so the gloves are probably outside his door with the rest of his stuff.

Ash was about to leave before Gurkinn stopped him, "Ash, are you possibly using those gloves for aura training?"

"Hmm? Oh yea, I am. They help me focus my aura."

Gurkinn's eyes twinkled, "Could I perhaps watch you train? I'm trained in using aura to connect with Pokémon, but I've never had the pleasure of witnessing a true Aura Guardian.

Korrina's eyes lit up as well, "Ooh! Me too!"

Ash grinned, "Sure! It'd be cool to get some feedback besides Jayden's, too."

Walking to his sleeping friend's room, Ash seized the gloves from atop the clothes pile outside the door. However, he paused as he checked the time. _Hmm, it's almost 10. Maybe I should wake him up before he misses breakfast._

Ash lightly knocked on the door without a response. He sneakily opened the door and tip toed to the edge of the bed where the proud Aura Guardian lay sleeping in a wrinkled sheet and a pair of Pokéball boxers. On the bedside table, Pika was curled up into a ball.

Ash also noticed that Jayden's beanie was still on. _He sleeps in that thing?_

"Pika! Pikachu Pika!" Ash's Pikachu called to Pika, who groggily lifted his head up and jumped onto Ash's other shoulder where he slumped back into sleep.

Ash repeatedly poked Jayden's side, causing the sleepy trainer to groan and sit up, "Ugh, what time is it?"

"It's like 10 in the morning. You overslept."

Jayden rubbed his face, "Did you do your morning cardio?"

"Yup."

"Your strength training?"

"I used the rocks on the beach as kettle bells."

"Second morning cardio?"

"Already done."

Chuckling, Jayden put on his athletic pants and tank top and grabbed a few Pokéballs from his bag, "Alright. Let's do some aura training. Pika, to me." When the half-asleep Pika didn't immediately jump from Ash's shoulder, Jayden tickled his nose until he complied.

"Okay, so can I try firing an Aura Sphere today?" Ash asked with an excited twinkle in his eyes.

Jayden laughed, "I mean, if you can fire an Aura Sphere, go ahead. That'd be impressive. I might even not kick your ass in sparring."

Now Ash groaned, "Ugh, do we have to? I always get so many bruises."

Jayden laughed, "Don't worry. I'm still a little sore from yesterday so I think we'll skip it for today."

Right as they entered the kitchen, they heard a door open and close behind them as May walked briskly to catch up.

"Hello you two. I hope you enjoyed your night." Gurkinn smiled as he passed out two massive plates of pancakes.

"Oh yea. It was great," they both muttered as they quickly demolished plate after plate of deliciousness, much to Gurkinn and Serena's chagrin.

Jayden paused to instruct Ash, "Go up to the roof. I want you to deflect Froakie's Frubbles while blindfolded. We'll work our way up from there. Cool?"

"Cool. Let's go, Pikachu!" Ash said as he dashed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the Tower's roof.

"Wait for me!" Korrina cried as she chased after him, eager to see the Aura Novitiate at work.

"I'll be up in a moment. I'm gonna make sure they have enough food first." Gurkinn called as he set several more plates of pancakes on the table. "So Jayden, I wanted to ask you if you'd mind us watching Ash's training."

"Hmm? No, that's fine." Jayden was surprised at the elder's courtesy as he took another huge mouthful of pancakes.

"Thank you. I'd also like to know if you all would like to try Mega Evolution today."

Jayden started to choke on his food. Interestingly, May was the first to grab her throat. Gurkinn quickly slapped his back, sending a large bolus of saliva-covered dough onto Jayden's plate.

"Sorry to surprise you. But I promised to show you all if you helped Korrina and considering you did that while stopping Team Rocket, I'd say you've earned your rewards." Gurkinn laughed while noting May's face was as red as Jayden's and she too was panting.

"Umm…yes. Yes, I would like to try Mega Evolution Mr. Gurkinn sir." Jayden's face was ripe with gratitude, almost bordering on devotion.

"Me too!" May croaked, the red in her face receding.

"Excellent. What Pokémon would you like to Mega Evolve? We have no shortage of Mega Stones thanks to you all." He said the last part at May.

"Umm… my Blaziken."

The elder grinned, "Blaziken can Mega Evolve."

"Can Pikachu Mega Evolve?" Jayden asked as Pika finally looked up with curiosity.

Gurkinn shook his head sadly, "I'm afraid as far as I know, Pikachu cannot. However, your Sceptile can. Or your Riolu if he evolves, of course."

Jayden grinned, "Then Sceptile it is!"

"What about Fennekin?" Serena asked, gesturing to the fire fox dining on Pokémon food on the ground. Much to her sadness, however, Gurkinn shook his head 'no'.

"I'll make a note of your choices for McGinty. He's the one who crafts the stones into wearable items for Pokémon. Now, I already asked Brock and Dawn so I'll just talk to Ash and we should be ready by this afternoon." Gurkinn then left to watch Ash train.

"Awesome! I can't wait!" Jayden cheered, his face going red with excitement.

Serena smiled before looking at May with a concerned look, "May, you're awfully flushed. Are you okay?"

May turned to her, "What? I'm fine! Just really excited."

Serena tapped her chin. _Hmm. It did look like they were both choking at one point. Maybe a coincidence?_

* * *

Tower of Mastery, Roof - Kalos Region (A few minutes later)

"Froakie! Kie! Kie!" Ash's water-type cried as he tossed gob after gob of white Frubbles at his trainer.

Ash stood about twenty feet away with a rag tied around his eyes. As the wad of white bubbles approached him, he smacked them away with a fist outlined in blue light, causing them to disintegrate.

"Come on, Froakie! Really try to hit me." He taunted.

Froakie grunted and started sending Frubbles at lightning speed. However, the Guardian-to-be had no trouble destroying each projectile.

Jayden smile from the bench he shared with Brock, Dawn, Korrina and Gurkinn (May was showing off contest moves to Serena), "Okay Froakie, try using Water Pulse."

The blue frog nodded with a malicious smile and began firing a rapid series of blue energy orbs at Ash.

"Piece of cake!" Ash proclaimed as he punched right through an orb, only for it to explode and send him onto his back.

Amidst the loud laughter of his friends, a furiously-blushing Ash got back up and grit his teeth, the outline around his fists shining much brighter now.

"Try using your Aura Barrier." Jayden commanded.

"Gotcha. Hyah!'Ash roared as he formed a small blue shield in front of him that absorbed the Water Pulses with ease.

Upon seeing the technique, Brock chimed in, "You know, Ash, Dawn and I met someone who could use an Aura Barrier, too."

"Really? Who? When? Where?" Korrina enthusiastically asked before Jayden could even open his mouth.

Brock sweatdropped, "His name's Riley. He and his Lucario were training on Iron Island to become Aura Guardians."

Jayden raised his eyebrows, "His name was Riley? And that's Iron Island by Sinnoh?" Brock nodded and Jayden's eyes widened, "I remember someone like that asking my grandfa…someone I knew to teach them."

"Really? That's great! Riley must've gotten a master since we left." Dawn cheered.

Jayden shook his head, "No. It was over four years ago, before you guys even started your journeys. Also, the master declined."

Dawn's eyes went wide with shock, "What? Why would he do that?"

Gurkinn answered for Jayden, "If I remember correctly, it's policy for the Aura Guardians to only train those within their bloodlines, correct?"

Now Jayden's eyes went wide with shock, "Well…yea. How'd you know that?"

"When you get to my age, you pick up a few things."

"Uh huh." Jayden said uneasily, "Well, the Guardians did try to keep their knowledge contained to certain bloodlines after the War of the Veil. But they also made a point to teach people with powers that might've posed a threat to the public if not controlled."

"So which category does Ash fall into?" Gurkinn asked, a slight bite to his tone.

In a surprised, but guarded voice, Jayden responded, "Neither. He's just talented." _Did I…do something to Gurkinn?_

There was a moment of uneasy tension before Brock broke it, "You know, Riley managed to contain an explosion that would've destroyed Iron Island with his Lucario."

As the conversation finished, Ash's barrier gave in, much to his surprise. As the Water Pulses barraged neared him, he forced his hands out in self-defense.

"Ash!" Korrina cried as she prepared to throw one of her Pokéball for his aid.

However, before anyone could act, Ash's hands themselves began to shine brightly. As the Water Pulses collided with his palms, they ricocheted right back at Froakie, sending the water-type flying into the wall, instantly unconscious.

"Froakie!" Ash cried as he removed his blindfold and rushed to his partner's aid, "I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

Brock dashed off the bench and quickly sprayed Froakie with a green and pink bottle, "This Hyper Potion should take care of him in a snap."

True to Brock's word, Froakie jumped back onto his feet almost immediately.

Ash sighed with relief and rubbed his head out of confusion, "What was that? I didn't try to do anything?"

"That looked kinda like Mirror Coat!" Dawn said, standing from the bench.

Korrina's jaw nearly hit the floor, "You used a Pokémon move?!"

"I mean; I know I can use moves of Pokémon I've bonded with so I guess I might've." Ash said, sheepishly rubbing his head while beaming with pride.

Brock interjected, "But you don't have any Pokémon that know Mirror Coat."

It took only that one sentence to completely shatter Ash's ego. He turned to Jayden pleadingly, "That was a Mirror Coat, wasn't it?"

Jayden look around nervously before shrugging with an awkward smile, "Sorry, but I guess if you don't have any Pokémon that know it, you couldn't have used Mirror Coat." Ash slumped down. "But hey, why don't you try it again? I might've been wrong."

"Okay!" Ash pumped his fist and got back to his spot and extended his hands, "Froakie, fire away!"

Froakie jumped up high, "Froa kie!" He fired a large Water Pulse at Ash's outstretched hands.

As the attack neared, Ash arrogantly cried, "Pikachu, use Electro Ball!" Pikachu complied, much to Ash's excitement and his audience's horror, releasing a large sphere of yellow electricity at lightning speed. The Electro Ball and Water Pulse merged to form a spiraling green sphere outlined by electricity.

"Umm…his hands aren't glowing." Korrina pointed out.

Gurkinn rubbed his chin, "No, they aren't. Strange."

"Shouldn't you help or something?" Brock asked Jayden, who quickly threw his hands up in front of him.

"What? No, no. I believe in learning by experience." _Also, Ash stole my gloves and I'm not trying to reactivate the seal AGAIN._

As the 'Electro Pulse' collided with Ash's palms, it halted in place, crackling at his touch. Ash grit his teeth as he struggled to push against the attack's force.

"Gah!" He roared and the Electro Pulse started to disappear into his palms, as if he was absorbing it. Ash dropped to his knees and panted heavily, the residual electricity from the attack dissipating into the air.

"What was that?" Dawn asked, awestruck.

Brock shook his head, "I've never seen that move before."

"I don't think it was a move." Gurkinn commented, "That appeared to be some sort of absorption technique, but no Pokémon has ever demonstrated such an ability."

Jayden clapped slowly, "That was Aura Absorption. It's when you stop an attack and convert it into aura as you absorb it. It's actually a pretty challenging move."

Ash smiled, standing up with noticeably more vigor than before, "I feel great! It's like that time I tried Red Granbull."

Jayden paused, "Did…did the author just make a 'Real Product but with a Pokémon name' joke? Cuz with Arceus as my witness, I won't tolerate that!"

The sky above rumbled loudly and a bolt of lightning struck the ground only two inches away from Jayden.

"On second thought, I can accept that. Those jokes are timeless anyway."

* * *

Tower of Mastery, Front Steps - Kalos Region (A few hours later)

The anticipation was high between members of the group as Gurkinn and his burly, bearded friend, Mr. McGinty, were on their way back from Shalour City with a briefcase filled with the latest-and-greatest Mega Evolution memorabilia.

Korrina was obviously going with Lucario. May had released her Blaziken while Jayden did the same for his Sceptile. Brock had called Pewter City earlier and got back his Steelix while Ash had…

"Who'd you bring back for your Mega Evolution?" Brock asked Ash.

Ash grinned with a peace sign, "Sorry, but it's a secret."

"Was it your Sceptile? Then you and Jayden could see whose is stronger." May asked inquisitively.

Jayden laughed and said with an incredibly, uncharacteristically straight voice, "Oh, that'd be a fun battle. I can't imagine how that would go."

Sceptile protested, "Scep?!"

Jayden whispered with a snicker, "Dude, don't worry. I know we'd kick his ass."

Sceptile turned away, satisfied with the answer, and nodded with a firm, flick of his neck, "Sceptile."

"Oh, I can't wait for you to Mega Evolve!" May cried, squeezing Blaziken with all of her might, much to the Fire-type's chagrin.

"Me too." Brock said, rubbing his partner's head, "While he was in Pewter City, Steelix took on a bunch of challengers. After all this time with Forrest and now with Mega Evolution, we'd probably be unstoppable!"

Steelix roared in agreement, sending all of his trainer's friends into small balls of fear. Even Jayden, as 'fearless' as he is, found himself in the fetal position before he knew what he was doing.

Dawn grunted with Serena on the steps, "I can't believe that I can't try Mega Evolution. It's no fair!" She buried her face into her legs and screamed a muffled scream.

Serena laughed with a sweatdrop, "It's okay, Dawn! We can cheer for Ash, Brock, May and Jayden!" Unfortunately, this did not abet the young coordinator's shrieks.

"Look! There's grandpa and Mr. McGinty!" Korrina cried, pointing at the duo walking across the land bridge, a large trunk in hand.

Mr. McGinty dropped the trunk in front of the gang and opened it, "Take your pick, kids. These're the finest I've ever made!"

Truly, the accessories on display were top quality. Embedded in slots made from black foam sat five different pieces of jewelry with embedded multi-colored gemstones with the Mega Evolution symbol somehow inside them. Below them were more oddly-shaped pieces with orange, red, silver, green and red-orange jewels, all with the same symbol as the Key Stones.

"Wait a second…that's Charizardite Y." Korrina exclaimed, examining the fifth stone, "Does that mean that you're using a…"

Her question was answered when Ash threw a Pokéball into the air, revealing his mighty fire-dragon. He roared into the sky, releasing a powerful stream of fire that signed everyone's hair clean off their arms.

"Wow! I haven't seen you in forever, Charizard!" May exclaimed, hugging the Fire-type. Brock similarly embraced his old friend.

Dawn, Jayden and Serena's mouths were wide in awe, "Woah."

Ash patted Charizard with pride, "Yea, we're a pretty good team, Charizard and I." In response, Charizard shot a Flamethrower right at Ash's face, only for his trainer to absorb the flames with his hands.

"Char?" Charizard asked with great confusion.

Ash snickered, "Yea, I can do that now."

Korrina's eyes were bright with anticipation, "Ooh! I wanna battle him!"

Gurkinn interrupted, "Sorry, but remember: you must battle me as your rite of passage."

The young gym leader's fell down in a dejected slump before jumping back up when she remembered that regardless of who she battles, she'll be using Mega Evolution.

"Okay, Korrina. This is yours and Lucario's Key Stone and Mega Stone." Mr. McGinty said as he handed her a white pendant for her and a red gauntlet for Lucario.

"Thanks!" Korrina said as she placed the necklace over her head and secured the gauntlet around Lucario's arm. "You ready, Lucario?"

"Luc lucario!" Lucario chanted with a prideful roar.

"Hmm…let us begin." Gurkinn released his own Lucario, whose Lucarionite was affixed via a yellow gauntlet, and walked to the other side of the courtyard, "McGinty, would you mind refing this battle?"

"Not at all." McGinty walked in between the two while everyone else scrambled next to Dawn and Serena on the front steps. "This is a single battle between Gurkinn and Korrina. The victor is determined when the other side's Pokémon is unable to battle. Begin!"

"This oughta be good." Jayden tossed Riolu's Pokéball up, "Riolu, watch Korrina and Gurkinn's battle." Riolu nodded and stared at the field with a focused gaze.

Korrina's eyes went red as she activated Aura Sense, "Lucario, it's time to Mega Evolve!" Korrina cried as she tapped her pendant, releasing a cascade of light towards Lucario's Lucarionite. As the stone absorbed more energy, Lucario became encased in a swirling cocoon of energy. When the cocoon shattered, the Mega Evolution symbol appeared briefly in front of Mega Lucario before dissipating.

"Yes, we did it!" Korrina cheered as Lucario clenched his paws, amazed at his power.

Gurkinn smiled, "Well done, Korrina. Now Lucario, it's time to Mega Evolve." Gurkinn tapped the Key Stone in his glove, triggering his Lucario's transformation. The old man's eyes went bright red as he activated his own Aura Sense.

"Wow. Gurkinn's Mega Lucario looks a lot stronger." Dawn commented.

"Yea, but Korrina's looks so much faster!" May exclaimed, excited by the transformation.

Serena added, "Either way, they're both using Aura Sense. It's gonna be tough no matter what."

"Alright Lucario, let's test out your new power with Bone Rush!" Korrina cried. Her Lucario formed a blue energy bone in his paws that split into two halves and rushed at Gurkinn's Lucario. However, his running seemed to be off pace and he wobbled more than he should've.

"Side step the attack and use Focus Punch." Gurkinn's Lucario moved at surprising speed and punched his opponent right into the ground.

Brock looked deep in thought and squinted, if he even could do such a thing, "Korrina's Lucario seems a lot less comfortable with his new transformation."

"Shake it off, Lucario! Use Aura Sphere and then use Metal Claw."

Korrina's Lucario jumped back and fired a point-blank Aura Sphere at his foe, sending the latter to his knees. Then, silvery blades extended out of Lucario's paw, allowing him to slash at Gurkinn's Lucario and send him flying back. When Lucario jumped back to his position, his footing gave way slightly, forcing him to use a paw to stabilize himself.

"Awesome! Good job, Lucario." Lucario nodded in affirmation at his trainer.

Gurkinn grunted, "Lucario, stand up and use Extreme Speed." Before anyone knew what was going on, the older Lucario slammed into his opponent at incredible speed. "Now, Close Combat." Gurkinn's partner barraged Korrina's with unbelievable force and velocity. When the attack was over, it was a miracle that Korrina's Lucario was still standing, even though it was still stumbling.

"Lucario! Are you okay?" Lucario weakly nodded and got back into his ready stance, "Let's put our all into this: Focus Blast!"

"Knock it back with Bone Rush."

The younger Lucario formed a massive blue-white ball of energy and sent it rocketing towards the older one. However, the latter quickly constructed a yellow bone in his hands and swung it like a baseball bat, knocking the Focus Blast right back at its origin with even greater force behind it.

"Lucario!" Korrina cried as he was sent flying back into the wall, his Mega Evolution quickly vanishing as he fell into unconsciousness.

Mr. McGinty cleared his throat, "Lucario is unable to battle, Lucario wins…umm…Gurkinn is the victor!"

"Aww, man." Korrina sighed as she recalled Lucario.

Gurkinn recalled his own and walked to his granddaughter, "You did well for your first Mega Evolution. I'm proud of you."

Her face brightened up, "Wow, thanks Gr-"

"But you're far from ready to use Mega Evolution in your Gym. Did you see how Lucario wobbled around? You guys have a lot of work to do."

Korrina looked down in disappointment, but Gurkinn continued, "I have an old friend near Geosenge Town that can help you master your new power." He turned to the rest of the group on the stairs, "You should all pay her a visit. There's something to learn for everyone."

"Yea yea. Now let's battle!" May cried as she dashed for the briefcase with a hunger in her eyes. After some fumbling, she had attached a blue band around Blaziken's upper arm and a black Mega Ring around her wrist.

Brock stood up and attached a silver chain and plate around Steelix's neck, "Well, it may be a bit easy for us, but we'll battle you two." He placed a silver band on his wrist with his Key Stone inside.

May scoffed, "Easy? Brock, you aren't much of a battler."

Brock laughed, "Please, May. I was a gym leader in Pewter City."

"That's the weakest gym in Kanto and that was almost five years ago." May retorted.

While the gang laughed, Brock couldn't help but feel the presence of a certain redhead encouraging the roast session along. "Oh yea, well then it's time to Mega Evolve!"

"Oh god, is that gonna be a saying?" Jayden groaned as Steelix emerged from the brilliant light having gained significant size as well as several crystal protrusions along his side.

"Blaziken, let's go."

"Oh thank god, she's not gonna say it."

"It's time to Mega Evolve!"

"Oh goddammit!"

Blaziken transformed into his Mega Form and almost immediately he started running around at an incredible pace.

"Wow! Mega Blaziken is fast." Dawn observed.

Gurkinn nodded, "Indeed. Mega Blaziken's ability is Speed Boost. He actually gets faster as time goes on."

"Really? Then this will be easy!" May cried with joy.

Gurkinn chuckled, "Not so fast. Keep in mind that Mega Steelix has the greatest defensive abilities of all Pokémon."

"Let's end this before she can even attack. Iron Tail!" Steelix's tail shined brightly as he brought it crashing down onto the ground. However, Blaziken was far gone by the time Steelix realized he missed.

"Sky Uppercut!" Blaziken dashed at Steelix and punched him so hard under the chin that he actually flew up several feet. "Now use Overheat!" Blaziken opened his beak and unleashed a swirling mass of yellow-orange fire. It struck Steelix with incredible power, instantly knocking out the giant snake.

"…So maybe Steelix's defenses are only as good as his trainer." Gurkinn muttered as he turned away from the awkward sight of Brock sobbing over his collapsed Pokémon's body.

Ash high-fived May as she and Mega Blaziken walked back to the steps, "Nice job! That was awesome."

The brunette smiled with a faint blush, "Aww, thank you. Good luck on your battle."

Ash grinned confidently, "Thanks, but I won't need it." He turned to Jayden, "It's just us left."

Jayden sighed with a slight smile and stood up, "You know, we've never battled before. It's strange that we'd start out with our strongest Pokémon."

Ash pumped his fist, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Yea, me neither. Too bad I'm gonna destroy you." Jayden got onto his side of the field, subtly nudging Brock aside with his foot. Sceptile handed Jayden a black armband for the former and green gauntlet for the latter.

"Oh just you wait." Ash secured his own blue gauntlet on his forearm and a chain with a plate around Charizard's neck.

"Ready?" Mr. McGinty asked. The tension in the air was palpable as the two trainers stared each other in the eyes, as did their Pokémon and their friends. Even the stoic Gurkinn seemed excited by the battle.

"Begin!"

"Charizard, it's time to Mega Evolve!" Charizard's stone shone a bright red and he transformed into a slightly more angular and pointed dragon-like Pokémon. Immediately, the sunlight became harsh.

 _So his ability is Drought, huh?_ "Alright, Sceptile, let's go!" Jayden tapped his Mega Gauntlet, but nothing happened. He tapped it again, but to no avail.

"You have to say the incantation!" Korrina cried from the steps.

"Nope. Not gonna say it."

"You have to."

"Nah."

"Jayden, I think she's right." Serena chimed in.

"Not worth it."

"You can't trigger the Key Stone without saying 'it's time to Mega Evolve'."

"…who the fuck designed this thing?"

* * *

 **Now this bears repeating, so:** **I want to do a Q &A of some kind so just PM me questions about the story/characters or leave them in a reivew and we can do something like that. And SPOILER: it's gonna be a part of the actual story.**

 **YO CONGRATS FAM! WE JUST HIT 100,000 WORDS!**

 **WOO WOO WOO WOO WOO**

 **AND OVER A MONTH LATE FOR CHRISTMAS!**

 **SUPER WOO WOO WOO WOO WOO**

 **Okay, that's enough with the Caps Lock. But for real, thank you all so much for sticking with me up to this milestone. When I started writing this story, I didn't think I'd end up hitting 50,000 words, much 100,000, so this is kinda crazy for me.**

 **But…oh god we're only like a quarter of the way through…this is gonna be a long story.**


	19. This Never Happens to Me, I Swear

**Yo! Remember that I'm doing a Q &A chapter in the near future so if you want me to answer a question of yours about anything, send it in a review or PM. **

**Anyways, this is a kinda exposition-heavy chapter…again. It should be the last one, but because of that, it's not terribly long. So sorry, but I promise you that the next few chapters are gonna be exciting as shit!**

 **HINT HINT** **YOUR OC'S ARE A'COMIN'**

 **Disclaimer: Does it look like I own Pokémon?**

* * *

 **Chapt** **er 19:** **This Never Happens to Me, I Swear**

Tower of Mastery, Roof – Kalos Region (Afternoon)

 _ **Third Person**_

After (reluctantly) saying the accursed phrase, Jayden managed to trigger Mega Evolution and thus began his battle against his friend and apprentice and the latter's Mega Charizard Y.

"Sceptile, use Leaf Blade!" Jayden cried as his newly Mega-Evolved Pokémon swung at Mega Charizard Y with a glowing green wrist-blade.

"Block it with Slash, and then use Dragon Tail!" Ash responded. Mega Charizard Y's wings took on a white shine as he parried the Leaf Blade with them before swinging a tail covered in green energy-scales at Mega Sceptile, knocking his opponent back several yards.

Gurkinn nodded seriously, "Mega Sceptile takes on the Dragon-type so that attack is super-effective."

Dawn said, "Really? I had no idea that Pokémon could gain a type when they Mega Evolve. I guess that gives Charizard an even bigger advantage against Sceptile."

May interjected, "I don't know, Dawn. Jayden's got some good moves on him."

The entire group paused for an awkward second as May realized her poor wording and attempted to correct herself, "N-no! I meant that he helped me practice for the contest back in Aquacorde Town, that's it! I didn't mean anything like that!"

Most everyone laughed out loud at the coordinator's expense. However, Ash could not help feel a pang of…something unpleasant…at how May came to Jayden's defense. However, for the life of him, he could not figure out what it was.

Realizing his opponent was distracted, Jayden pounced, "Sceptile, Dragon Pulse!" Sceptile leaped back and extended his left arm out and placed his right claw around his left elbow. Out of his left palm, a large multi-colored beam of energy erupted and knocked flatly into Mega Charizard Y, sending the orange dragon flying back.

"Charizard! Get up and fly high!" Ash called. Mega Charizard Y struggled up, but with a mighty flap of his wings, he rocketed several stories up, "Now use, Flamethrower." Mega Charizard Y's jaw opened, releasing a powerful stream of orange and red fire.

Serena clenched the stair she was sitting on, "Woah. That's one hot Flamethrower!"

Brock explained, "With Charizard's new Drought ability, all Fire-type attacks are amplified."

Jayden smiled, "We'll just have to take advantage of Drought, too, then. Sceptile, Solar Beam, full power!" The bulbs on Mega Sceptile's back rapidly took in small spheres of solar energy and within a few seconds, Mega Sceptile fired an incredibly powerful Solar Beam right into the Flamethrower.

For several seconds, the two attacks pushed against each other. However, Mega Charizard Y's Flamethrower shot through and collided with Mega Sceptile, causing heavy damage.

"Grr! Sceptile, you okay?" Mega Sceptile winced as he got to his feet, but he nodded his head and growled with rage. "Awesome. Let's even these odds. Use Synthesis." Mega Sceptile breathed deeply as his skin took on a bright green glow. Within seconds, the glow faded and Mega Sceptile was fully-healed.

Ash's jaw dropped, "But how? Synthesis shouldn't be that powerful!" But then he looked at the shining sun and his eyes went wide. _It's Drought. As long as that's around, Sceptile can just heal himself over and over again. I have to try and stop him from healing himself. Or maybe we can dish out enough damage that he can't recover from it in one move._

"Sceptile, Dragon Pulse, once more." Mega Sceptile got into his position and fired another beam of multi-colored energy at his foe, bringing Mega Charizard Y to his knees. "Leaf Blade, let's go!"

Suddenly, an idea sprung into Ash's head, "Use Wing Attack to protect yourself and then fly Sceptile up high." Mega Charizard Y hid itself under his glowing-white wings as Mega Sceptile slashed at him with Leaf Blade. Then, he grabbed Mega Sceptile's arms and flew up high.

Mega Sceptile struggled at first, but began to cling to his opponent at the 200 feet mark. Even Jayden looked slightly worried at the increasing height.

 _Perfect. Sceptile won't move too much at these heights!_ "Charizard, use Dragon Breath!"

Mega Charizard Y's mouth crackled with light blue energy as he prepared to fire the attack. Mega Sceptile's eyes were filled with fear at his impending defeat.

However, Jayden's fearful expression changed into a grin, "Use Solar Beam, as quick as you can!" Hearing his trainer's confidence, Mega Sceptile fired an instant Solar Beam, with the help of Drought, directly into Mega Charizard Y's open mouth, simultaneously prematurely detonating the charging Dragon Breath.

Mega Charizard Y roared in pain, smoke spewing from his mouth as he dropped Mega Sceptile and started an uncontrollable descent.

"Break your fall with Dragon Pulse!" Jayden cried as Mega Sceptile used the force of the attack to slow his descent.

Mega Charizard Y, however, showed no signs of stopping and landed with a very loud _thud_. Incredibly, he was still conscious, albeit barely.

"Alright! Nice job, Jayden!" May cried.

Dawn cheered, "That was really cool!"

Even Gurkinn, who seemed to not like Jayden that much, seemed impressed at the young trainer's ingenuity.

The uncomfortable feeling inside Ash came back as soon as he heard May cheer for _**that**_ _ **bastard**_ … _Jayden._

"Charizard, can you go on?" Mega Charizard Y roared and stomped his feet, thoroughly pissed off at having sustained so much damage against a 'puny tree lizard', as he so eloquently described Sceptile.

"Alright! Then how's about we try my new trick?" Ash breathed deeply and his eyes took on the blue glow of Aura Sense. However, now Mega Charizard Y's eyes mirrored Ash's.

"Woah. That's new." Serena remarked.

Korrina cocked her head, "That's never happened to me or Grandpa, has it?" She turned to her grandfather.

He shook his head, "No, I don't know if we have this ability. It's a more powerful evolution of Aura Sense. Ash and Charizard's auras are now linked. I believe it's called Battle Bond."

Jayden nodded, "That's right."

"I don't recall asking for your affirmation." Gurkinn muttered so quietly that only he and Jayden heard. However, he seemed taken aback by his own passive-aggression and folded his hands in his lap and looked down.

 _I should talk to him sometime._ "Uh…anyways. Ash, how long have you been able to do that?"

Ash raised an eyebrow, "What? I've been using Aura Sense for like two months."

Brock interjected, "But now Charizard's eyes are blue, too."

"They are? Holy mother of Arceus!" Ash exclaimed when his dragon turned around, revealing glowing blue eyes.

Jayden smirked. _He didn't even realize he unlocked a new power. This dumbass is an actual natural. Or maybe I'm an amazing teacher._

Ash clenched his fist, "It's strange, but I feel a lot stronger. Like…a lot." He turned to Jayden, "Why don't you use your Battle Bond, too?"

* * *

Jayden nodded and reached out with his aura, but there was no response. Mega Sceptile turned to his trainer and nodded with a grin, his gaze trying to convey some sort of message. Jayden tried again. _Why can't I bond with Sceptile?_

However, he felt a sudden chill down his spine and a cold sweat began to form. _I can't…read Sceptile's mind?! That's impossible; he's one of my first Pokémon, how come I can't understand him? I even have my gloves on!_

* * *

"Jayden?" May asked, "Are you okay?" Jayden noticed that she was sweating for some reason.

"Uhh…yea I'm fine. I just don't think I need Battle Bond to beat Ash." He quickly swapped out his worried look for a traditional cocky smirk.

Ash's face became comically enraged, "Oh yeah?! I'll show you!" Mega Charizard Y and Ash roared in unison. However, Mega Sceptile looked confused and upset at likely realizing that he and his trainer had lost their aural link.

"Sceptile, Dragon Pulse!" Mega Sceptile got into position and fired a Dragon Pulse. However, this one was noticeably weaker than the first few.

"Dodge and use Dragon Tail on the ground!" Mega Charizard Y's tail slammed into the ground, sending sharp pieces of gravel flying towards Mega Sceptile.

"Use Leaf Blade to destroy the pieces!" Unfortunately, Mega Sceptile's leaves did not activate in time, causing him to get sent flying by the shrapnel.

"Sceptile!" Jayden cried.

"Now finish him off with Flamethrower!" Mega Charizard Y shot a jet-stream of fire right at Mega Sceptile.

"Counter with an instant Solar Beam."

However, as Mega Sceptile prepared to fire his attack, he was enveloped in a white light and within an instant, his Mega Evolution faded, causing Sceptile to get sent flying back from the ultra-powerful Flamethrower. When the dust cleared, he was unconscious.

Jayden's eyes went wide. _What just happened?_

"So much for not needing Battle Bond. We won!" Ash cheered as he hugged Mega Charizard Y, only for the both of them to faint.

Korrina laughed, "I guess that Battle Bond stuff takes a lot out of you."

Jayden recalled Sceptile and stared at his Pokéball. _I'm sorry, Sceptile. I'm gonna figure out what's wrong with you. I promise._

Brock patted Jayden on the shoulder, "Hey, that was a well-fought battle. Not many trainers can put up that well of a fight against Ash and Charizard, especially with a type-disadvantage."

"Psh, next time I'll win by a landslide!" Jayden puffed his chest out and comically strutted up the stairs to his friends' amusement.

* * *

He continued to walk this way all the way back to his room before he groaned and collapsed on his bed.

 _Uhhh. That sucked._ Pika crawled out from under his beanie and stretched.

Jayden looked up at him, "Hey buddy."

Pika chirped at him, but Jayden couldn't understand him.

"Uhh. Not you too!" he protested.

Again, nothing.

"I think I'm losing my powers. Like whatever I did in that cave, whatever that seal on my body did, its taking my abilities away."

Still nothing.

"Ugh. It's so weird not being able to talk to you. It just sucks." Pika shrugged, but, sensing his friend's frustration, nuzzled him on the cheek, sending slight sparks across Jayden's body.

However, this, in turn, sparked an idea in Jayden, "Why don't I try talking to Riolu? He's the most aura-sensitive out of you three…but where is he? I released him earlier, but he's not in the room."

Pika jumped off the bed and gestured for Jayden to follow. After some walking and a few flights of stairs, they arrived at Gurkinn's study, where Riolu was deep in conversation with Gurkinn's Lucario while the Mega Evolution Guru watched from a desk.

"Hey, Riolu." Jayden called.

Riolu turned to his trainer and smiled, but all Jayden heard were high-pitched growls. _Ugh, great. I'm definitely in trouble._

"Something wrong?" Gurkinn asked.

"Nothing. Just having some Pokémon troubles."

Gurkinn smirked, "Yea, I'd call losing a Mega Evolution 'trouble,' too."

Jayden's pride sank, "Oh…you noticed?"

"I'm the world's leading expert on Mega Evolution, of course I noticed that glaring bright light. It only happens when the Pokémon loses its connection to its trainer. I'm guessing that's what happened."

Jayden sank into a chair inside the study, "Yea, I don't know. Lately, I've been pretty confused with my aura. It's like I can't control it anymore."

Gurkinn raised an eyebrow, "I thought Aura Guardians couldn't control aura. Only shape and guide it."

Jayden smirked, "I'm pretty sure that classifies as 'controlling' something."

"Hmm. I thought the phrasing encouraged a reverence and respect for aura and a sense of humility. Or am I reading the ancient texts and philosophies wrong?"

Jayden scratched his head and let out an exasperated sigh, "Why don't you like me? It's like you're undermining me at chance you get."

Gurkinn was silent, but his eyes were brewing up a storm. With a sigh, he responded, "I know who you are."

Jayden nearly choked on air after hearing that sentence, but luckily kept his composure as Gurkinn continued, "When a 10-year-old kid manages to defeat the gym leaders in three regions within a year, people talk about it. When that same 10-year old vanishes for two years, people talk about it. When he shows up again and becomes a Frontier Brain infamous for denying challenges, people talk about it. Something about all of that is odd."

Jayden let out a relieved sigh. _Thank god, he's talking about this instead of the other stuff._ "How'd you know all that?"

"I'm a former Gym Leader and very well-connected. I know what's going on in the world."

Jayden exhaled deeply and nodded, "Sure. Do you wanna ask me anything?"

"How did you advance so quickly?"

"How did I beat those gym leaders so quickly? I had Pika for a few years at that point and I was already skilled in aura. Training any new Pokémon was pretty easy considering that we got stronger at an accelerated rate thanks to my aura training. And with my SideStep, I could move to different cities within a few hours."

"Your SideStep?" Gurkinn asked. Pika, Riolu and Lucario were both fixated on the conversation, with the first two particularly interested in hearing this recount of their shared history.

"My Aura Sense is so strong that I can synchronize my own aura to match the aura around us. This lets me essentially take on the same form as the ambient aura and move without being restricted by normal forces like air resistance and gravity."

Gurkinn nodded, "I've never heard of that ability, but it makes sense given what I've read. Anyways, so I understand how you beat the Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh gym leaders."

Jayden interrupted, "Actually, I beat six of the gym leaders in Kalos, too. I never got to challenge the Shalour Gym or the Lumiose Gym."

"Really? Why?"

Jayden rubbed the back of his head, "That sorta ties into where I went for those two years."

"First, explain how you became a Frontier Brain."

"Huh? Well…I was sorta looking to get away from…everything…and there was an opening at the Battle Spire. I just beat the other contenders and I got the job. Simple.

"But why take the job if you weren't going to accept challenges."

"Like I said, I wanted to get away from everything. And in my defense, that was only for a few months."

Gurkinn shrugged and sat up, "Alright fine. So then…"

Jayden held his hand up, "Wait. Now it's my turn. Why don't you like me? You never really answered me."

The old man shrugged, "You remind me of someone I once knew. An Aura Master named Ryu." Jayden clenched the arms of his chair, but Gurkinn didn't notice or didn't care, "Ryu said many of the same things you said and had a similar approach to the destructive powers of aura with a complete disregard for its nonviolent and educational benefits. Anyways, you remind me of him."

Jayden grit his teeth, "I'm nothing like him. He's a monster."

Gurkinn smiled slyly, "So you do know Ryu."

"He's my…grandfather."

Gurkinn's sizeable eyebrows went up, "Oh. I didn't see that coming. Not much of a resemblance, but I guess it makes sense you'd have a powerful Aura Master in the family. Keeps the blood pure. So who's your father then? I might've met him."

"He's dead." Pika and Riolu stood by their trainer and nuzzled him sympathetically.

Gurkinn was silent, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine. Just ask whatever it is you wanted to before I cut you off."

With added hesitation Gurkinn asked, "I know who you were before and who you are now, but I want to know how you became this person."

Jayden sighed and put his head in his hands. He whispered, "The Wild Hunt."

Gurkinn's eyes went wide with a ghastly expression and he made a sound like a sharp intake of air, "The Wild Hunt?! Is that what you said?"

The young guardian nodded as his two Pokémon now clutched his legs in discomfort at hearing that name. Jayden asked, "You've heard of them?"

Gurkinn nodded with a horrified and chilling look on his face, "Enough to wish I never had. You faced them and lived?"

He laughed darkly, "If you can call it living."

For the first time, Gurkinn looked at Jayden with sympathy and respect, "I understand. You need not say more. I'm sorry for how I treated you. Please forgive me." He stood up and bowed apologetically.

Slightly surprised, but nonetheless appreciative of the gesture, Jayden bowed back. At that moment, Gurkinn's computer let out the sound of a Fletchling chirping.

"Oh! That'd be Mabel." Gurkinn ran to check the email message.

"That's the Mega Evolution expert you said Korrina should visit?" Jayden asked.

Gurkinn nodded and read over the message, his eyes scanning the different lines, "It looks like she can't help Korrina - I guess I can train her myself - because she's with Professor Sycamore for the Pokémon Winter Training Program."

"What's that?"

"It looks like some sort of camp with different activities…including a Mega Evolution seminar!" Gurkinn's eyes lit up with an idea, "You all should go to this camp! It's right by Geosenge Town."

Jayden smiled, "I haven't been to camp in forever. Might be fun. I'll tell the others. Come on Pika and Riolu." He started to leave the study, but he was stopped by a tug on his pant leg.

Riolu shyly tapped his paws together and looked down, but he muttered something.

"What? I can't understand you, Riolu." Jayden said.

The small jackal suddenly looked up with a fierce expression and pointed to Gurkinn's Lucario and back at himself, giving an impassioned speech that even the densest of trainers could understand.

"You want to train with Lucario?"

Gurkinn smiled, "Hey, that's not a bad idea. It would certainly be interesting for Lucario to spar against a Riolu that knows Aura Sphere. I'd be willing to take care of him for you."

Jayden looked surprised. _I don't think I've ever been apart from Riolu_. He knelt down, "You really want to train here?"

Riolu looked at his trainer, then back at Lucario and nodded fiercely.

The young trainer smiled, rubbed his jackal's head, and handed Gurkinn a Pokéball, "Take good care of him, please."

* * *

Gurkinn promised he would so Jayden walked back to his room and fell onto his bed with Pika, "Man, today's been eventful as hell. I really just want a good nap."

Then there was a knocking at the door.

"Goddammit."

"Jayden? Can I talk to you?" May called from the other side of the door.

He slumped against the door, "Noooo. Every time we 'talk,' some emotional or weird stuff happens."

"Come on! There's some weird emotional stuff happening right now. Like for some reason, I feel like I really have to talk to you right now."

Jayden stopped pushing against the door and let May in, "What do you mean?"

She shrugged, "I don't know, but like the entire day, I've been thinking about you constantly."

A familiar playful grin crept onto Jayden's face, "Wow, May. I didn't know you felt like that."

May's face went redder than her first bandana, "That is NOT what I meant!"

However, Jayden and Pika were both rolling on the floor laughing at her extreme reaction.

"Stop that!" May shrieked, only further entertaining her friend, "I'm being serious! Like I feel some sort of connection between us, but I don't know what it is."

Jayden contained his bursts of laughter and put on his best serious face, "Well, first love is often very confusing for everyone, but it's noth-"

He never finished the sentence since May tackled him, mallet in hand. After a few seconds of wrestling, she finally pinned him down with both hands secured around her mallet and ready to strike.

"Now, you die!" May cried with playful fury. As she swung the hammer down, Jayden quickly grabbed her wrists and pulled them as far apart as he could. However, May, taken aback by the surprise move, lost her balance and fell on top of Jayden where their lips met.

For several seconds neither one moved, whether out of shock, disgust, or the inexplicable electrical sensation in their chests.

Jayden glanced at Pika, whose mouth was agape, before feeling some inexplicable desire to continue. He closed his eyes and deepened the kiss. Much to his surprise, May did the same. As they continued, the intense sensation in their chests grew and grew until Jayden was convinced he was being hit by Volt Tackle.

But in a nice way.

They only stopped when they heard a quick scuffling at the door. They immediately broke apart and stood up, dusted themselves off and barely looked at each other's burning red faces as May left the room. Jayden turned off the light and lay in his bed, although sleep would not come for either him, May, or the young trainer who had the misfortune of seeing his crush making out with his best friend.

* * *

Tower of Mastery, Front Steps – Kalos Region (Morning)

The next morning was an exercise in awkwardness. Jayden barely looked at May and May barely looked at Jayden. Luckily, most everyone was busy preparing for the journey to Geosenge Town for the Pokémon Winter Training Program.

"I'm so excited to see Professor Sycamore, again!" Dawn exclaimed.

Brock sighed, "And I'm so excited to see Sophie, the love of my life, again." Brock seized Jayden around the shoulders, "Isn't love so wonderful?"

Jayden glanced at May and looked down, "Uhh…sure."

Korrina and Gurkinn walked down the steps with their respective Lucario and Jayden's Riolu in tow.

"Remember that you guys have about a week to get to Geosenge Town, which shouldn't be too much of a problem if you plan right." Gurkinn reminded the gang.

Korrina pumped her fist, "Ash, when we meet next, we're gonna have a rematch, kay?"

Ash pumped his fist, albeit with a little less vigor than normal, "You got it."

Korrina turned to Jayden, "My grandpa says you have to challenge the gym, too, right?"

Jayden nodded with a smile, "Yea, I'm looking forward to our battle."

Gurkinn handed Brock a small box, "Please deliver this to Professor Sycamore. It's very important."

Brock nodded with a grin, "You can count on me!"

"You all take care, alright?" Korrina and Gurkinn commanded with a smile."

"We will." The group said as they began walking down the land bridge.

As the gang entered the Reflection Cave on their way towards Geosenge Town, there was an uneasy sense that things were soon going to change hanging over head.

* * *

Unknown

"Lysandre, we've located the Key Stone and Mega Stone you requested. The drones are at the location right now in Shalour City." Celosia said, kneeling behind her leader in his command center.

Lysandre let out an uninterested grunt in response.

Celosia continued uneasily, "Also, it appears that the children responsible for defeating Hunter J are somehow involved."

This drew Lysandre's attention, "Really? What have we found about them?"

Celosia gulped, "Well…it appears that one of them emits an energy frequency similar to what we found around Subject-613X."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, sir. I examined the readings myself."

Lysandre rubbed his chin, "Then we're aren't dealing with just kids. I want a squadron sent immediately. Tell them to take no survivors."

* * *

 **BOOM! EXPOSITION4LYFE! Anyways, I hope you liked it.**

 **Remember the GOAL of the story is different from what I show in the SHORT TERM.**

 **Also, if you have questions about OOC moments, might I recommend submitting a question for the Q &A? **

**Peace!**


	20. Important Shit (PLEASE READ)

_**PLEASE READ IF YOU GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THIS STORY!**_

Yo! This is just a quick little thing that I wanted to do to for some direct interaction with my 70 some fans. It'll be deleted after a few days, which is about the time I plan for Chapter 20 to be done.

 **1) The Q &A: **I've got some really nice questions so far, but I need a LOT more. I have this really funny ( **at least I think it is** ) way to integrate the Q&A into the plot, but to do that, I need AT LEAST 30 questions. I have a little over 10 right now. Anyways, I hope you guys will send me some questions. You can send as many as you want and I hope you guys are excited for what I have in store. It's really reminiscent of the first few chapters' sense of humor and style.

Speaking of which...

 **2) The story's style:** When I first started writing this story, I had a very comedic, light-hearted approach to it. It was just gonna be a fun romp with super-powers in a world slightly more adult and self-aware than the actual anime, which is why the story started out as a "Comedy" and "Adventure". However, after about Chapter 6 ( **which is when I took about a 6 month break/lazy period from the story** ), I started a more serious style of writing. While there are some exceptions, I feel as if overall, the story is darker than it was when I started ( **look to the 'Hunter' arc for evidence** ). I'm rereading the old stuff and honestly, I like that style more. But the issue comes that I also like the plot elements and building character complexity I'm writing, but it's hard to balance a lot of humor with these themes. So I guess what I'm asking is: do you guys prefer the old style or the new style? Or do you have a completely different idea of how I should write?

 **3) The Point of View:** I know almost all of the story is done through first-person, but I think I'm gonna make the switch to third-person, at least as my main form. That isn't to say I won't use some first-person, especially for comedic effect, but I feel as if third person removes some of the perspective bias I see when I reread this story.

Especially, bias towards a character that I've been second-guessing since I started this story:

 **4) Jayden:** I'll be honest, Jayden's character is really hard for me. I don't even know who he is. In Chapter 1, I wanted him to be a kooky, eccentric, comedic relief type of character. But since then, he's become kind of...darker. I honestly believe that the style and tone of the story changed because I changed his character, especially because I used his POV as a sort of proxy for how I react and view the anime and its characters. A huge concern of mine is that he is, at the end of the day, an OC. I don't know if you guys know this, but most successful Fanfiction authors actively warn AGAINST using OCs as main characters. There are good examples of OCs, like Gavin in Pokémon: League of Ultimates, but there are some truly shitty ones too. And when the OC has their own long, complex backstory and character arc, its not hard to detract and distract from the main characters and their plights.

My issue is that Jayden is the catalyst for most of the story ( **at least much as I've planned** ) so I kinda need him around still. So the compromise is: what are your thoughts of Jayden? How can I improve him? Should I focus on him or do you prefer he be in the background?

Anyways, these are my points for your consideration. Thanks for reading and I hope you stick around for more!


	21. EXTRA IMPORTANT SHIT (FANS, PLEASE READ)

_**(i know I promised the next update would be an actual chapter, but this is too good to pass up)**_

 **GUYS, I HAVE BIG NEWS!**

 **So some of you might know that I first tried to write this story a little less than 5 years ago when I was but a boy in the 7th grade. Well, guess who found the original 8 chapters on his old computer? Keep in mind, this is the first edition of the story and the current version is the 4th attempt. Or is it the 5th... Anyways, I found the old story!**

 **And yes...it' even more cringe than you could possibly imagine.**

 **So, given that May 20 is the 5 year birthday of this shit fest's inception, are you guys interested in me reviewing my old material, having a discussion about the evolution of the story, characters and my writing? I think it'll be fucking hilarious, but I want to celebrate 5 years of wish-fullfilment - I mean, Fanfiction, according to my fans...all 12 of you.**

 **Anyways, lemme know what you guys think. And don't worry, Chapter 20 is nearly done.**


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